DNA: Destiny Never Alters
by CSIgirl628
Summary: Marilyn "Mar" Sorenson was the target of high school ridicule. She listened to weird music, wore dark clothes, and was obsessed with eyeliner. However, she was also in love with chemistry; a gothic geek. And as if being bullied by the Gems wasn't enough, her next door neighbor Greg Sanders wasn't any better. What happens when they both end up working for CSI?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Bitch.

Slut.

Fat.

Whore.

The insults kept coming and there was nothing I could do to stop them. I took a shaky breath and put my headphones over my ears, being lulled into a calm stupor by Marilyn Manson's _Mechanical Animals. _I got to my locker and slowly slid down until my butt hit the tile, the music screaming in my head. Putting my head between my legs I began to slowly lose my cool when the tears began to overflow. Suddenly the headphones were ripped from my ears and the noise of the hallways came in a tidal wave. I kept my eyes on the ground as Diamond Stevens' voice fills the space around me.

"Hey Marilyn. How are you today?"

"Fine," I mumbled, hoping that she would just disappear.

Two hands wrapped around my arms and yanked me off the ground so I was standing directly in front of Diamond and her friends, Ruby Hanson and Emerald Brady. "Now that's better," Diamond cooed as she ripped the headphones out of the jack and threw them across the hallway. "Look at me when I talk to you," she growled.

I pulled my shoulder bag close to me and bit the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming at her. Suddenly I heard a crack and my head snapped as she slapped me. Ruby took my bag and proceeded to dump the contents onto the floor. My mouth had that icky metallic taste as the blood from my cheek filled my mouth.

Three steady beeps filled the hallway as students began to head to class. The three girls stepped all over my papers as they walked away, laughing. Slowly I bent down and began to shove things in my bag while my music unconsciously still played through the iPod.

An all too familiar shoe stepped directly on top of the papers I was about to grab. Looking up, I saw Greg Sanders standing over me. Standing up I walked over to my headphones and plugged them back into the jack. He continued to stare at me until I looked back at him. "What?!" I snapped.

He opened his mouth to say something, but instead he smirked and said, "Nice face." I gaped at him as he walked away. Sprinting to the nearest bathroom I dropped my bag and looked into the mirror. A red mark was prominent on my cheek and a purple bruise was starting to form. I pulled out my compact and winced as I began to pat the powder on the red and purple colors.

I trudged home blasting my music and wincing at the throbbing in my ribcage. I just hoped my mom and dad weren't home so I could just take some time to myself. Rounding the corner to my block I grimaced as I heard the roar of a car whiz past me and park in the drive way next to mine. My breath caught in my throat as Greg climbed out of his car and grabbed his bag out of the backseat. I took in his every movement as the passenger side door opened and one of his friends stepped out. I dropped my head and kept going, hoping he didn't see me looking.

My mood only worsened as I noticed my dad and my mom's car in the driveway. I slipped in through the front door and made it halfway up the stairs before my mother's voice sounded from the kitchen. "Marilyn dear! How was school?"

"Fine Mom."

I continued to my room and shut the door, grateful she didn't press it. Plugging my iPod into its dock I began blasting Manson again, hoping that the music would drown out everything. Sitting down at my window, I opened it and blankly stared at the tree growing between my yard and Greg's. I heard my door open and my music suddenly stopped as my dad's cologne filled the room. "Marilyn please turn down that awful music. Is that really what you wore to school today? It's not very flattering, but then again no matter what you wear you won't look very good. Anyway dinner is at six, but you may want to eat less tonight, you are getting fatter."

With that he closed the door and I began crying. The Gems, I can take. Greg, sure. My dad is always making comments and it really breaks my heart. No father should say that to his daughter.

I stayed in my room for the rest of the night, listening to music and messing with my chemistry stuff. I was deep in concentration when I heard a tap on my window. Lowering the volume on my iPod I went over to the window and threw it open in annoyance. Greg was leaning out his widow with a smirk on his face. If the circumstances were different and he actually felt the same way I did, it could have been a romantic moment.

"Can't you turn that down?"

I rolled my eyes. "Why?"

He mimicked me and rolled his eyes. "Because it is annoying and I'm trying to concentrate."

"Whatever," I said as I began to close window.

"Marilyn, wait."

My heart fluttered as I opened the window again. "Yeah?"

"Do you check me out on a daily basis or was it just a one-time thing?"

All the air left my lungs as a stumbled backwards and slammed the window closed. I shut off my light and crawled into bed, utterly broken.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

I was literally dying of heat exhaustion. My whole class stuffed in our gym while an administrator older than the dinosaurs read off our names one by one.

"Greg Sanders."

My eyes flitted to the front where Greg was receiving his diploma. My mind began to wander; if I had told Greg about how I feel, maybe he would have felt the same way. We could be graduating together and getting ready for college. Maybe we would get a little apartment together and have movie nights and face the world together…

"Marilyn Sorenson."

I carefully made my way up to the front of the stage and took my diploma and shook hands with the right people. _Finally, _I thought. _I never have to see any of these assholes ever again…_

**This is kind of a filler/fluff chapter. The real stuff will start with the next chapter. Thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

I put my car in park and took a deep breath. I couldn't believe I was really here, in Las Vegas, getting my dream job. _"What if I mess up? What if they all hate me? What if…" _My thoughts were interrupted when I looked at the clock, realizing I had 5 minutes to get inside. I cut the engine, stopping Manson mid-song, hastily grabbed my bag and ran inside.

Greg's POV:

I pulled in to the lot with a grin on my face when I remembered that today we were getting a new CSI. Things had been boring lately and a new face would do everyone good. _"What if I meet her and she hates me? What if I get distracted and mess up? What if I say something stupid? What if…" _My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a door slam saw the back of a girl's head disappear into the building. I looked at the clock and quickly gathered my things as well, running to the door, praying I wouldn't be late.

Marilyn's POV:

I slowly walked up to the lady at the reception desk and put on a smile. "Hi," I said. She looked up and gave me a smile. "Today is my first day and I'm not really sure where I should be…"

"Welcome to the Crime Lab. I will page Gil Grissom, he is your supervisor. He will take it from there."

I sat down and looked at my feet, afraid to make eye contact with anyone. I felt someone brush past me and say, "Sorry Grissom. Didn't see you there."

My head snapped up, not because the guy said Grissom, but because I thought I recognized the voice. _"Don't be stupid Mar. You just got here, how could you know anyone?" _I stood up and walked over to a man with grayish hair and kind eyes. "Hi. I'm Marilyn Sorenson."

"Gil Grissom. Pleased to meet you. Now if you'll follow me I will show you to the break room where you can meet your colleagues. I apologize if I seem rushed, but I have to dissect larvae before they mature."

I smiled to myself. "How many weeks have they been on the body? If you haven't determined a TOD yet they can be quite helpful." He gave me a strange look and I felt myself blushing. "I'm sorry if that came out wrong. I don't want you to think I'm pushy but I've always been fascinated by bugs and…"

He held up a hand to cut me off before offering a small smile. "I think you and I will get along famously."

My smile grew as we walked down to what I assumed was the break room. I was greeted by a blonde woman with a pile of folders around her. She looked up as we came closer and I immediately liked her. "Catherine, this is Marilyn Sorenson our new CSI. Marilyn, this is Catherine Willows."

She held out her hand and I took it tentatively. "Please call me Mar."

We smiled and all of a sudden booming voice came from down the hall, "Hey Griss I got the results you wanted."

Grissom smiled and said, "Thank you Nick. I'll leave you to get acquainted."

I faced the man with the Texas drawl and smiled. "I'm Mar."

"And what's that short for?" He grinned at me.

"Marilyn."

"As in Monroe?"

I giggled. "No. Manson. One of the greatest musicians to live."

Nick broke into a wide smile and said, "Well I think you and the other DNA tech will get along just fine."

"Who's that?"

He opened his mouth but was interrupted by another man coming into the break room and slapping him on the back. "Well we did it Nicky. We nailed that SOB."

Nick glanced from the man to me and said, "Such language in front of a lady. Warrick you should be ashamed."

Warrick and I shook hands and I said, "Don't worry on my account. You may have offended Nick though. He looks as if he might cry."

They both gaped at me as I grinned. Warrick crushed me in a hug and let out a booming laugh. "I like this one. She's got you down Nicky."

"Mar. Short for Marilyn. Not Monroe," I said, and to that Nick laughed as well.

"I think we will get along famously."

Catherine gathered her things and made for the door, "I'll leave you three to it then. Show her around, but be nice please."

I shot her a quick smile and with that she disappeared down the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Nick slung his arm around my shoulder and led me out of the break room and down a bunch of hallways before going into the locker room. "So here is your locker, the combo is on the lock. Open it and you should have your stuff in there. You're certified to carry a gun, right?"

I spun the numbers on the lock and it opened with a click. "Yes, I am." I said as I grabbed my pager, cell phone, gun, and ID. "Now where?"

Nick led me out the door and said, "I actually have to make some stops if that's okay with you."

I grinned like a kid on Christmas and said, "I don't mind at all. Lead the way."

The first stop was the AV lab where I was introduced to Archie. Nick walked in the room and said, "Archie, you have that surveillance footage for me?"

He gave Nick a soft smile and said, "Right here. I can give you the make and model of the car, but the plate is a no-go. Too blurry."

I peeked over his shoulder and muttered, "Adjust the contrast…"

He turned and said, "What?"

I felt my face get red again. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry. I was just saying that if you adjust the contrast the light could maybe give you a partial plate…"

Nick chuckled as Archie started messing with a few things. Within minutes there was a partial license plate on the screen. Archie turned to me and said, "I may have to steal you from DNA. How did you…?"

"Oh um my dad works with computers and I used to mess with them when I was a kid."

The next stop was the Trace lab. "Hodges please give me some good news," Nick said as he opened the door.

"Good news, I have results." The man at the table said to Nick.

There was sort of an awkward silence before I piped up, "Are you gonna say something or…?" Hodges looked surprised and I continued, "I mean you know what you're talking about so we would greatly benefit from your expertise."

Nick gave me a what-the-heck look and Hodges grinned. "I like this one. So Nick the fibers on you vic were a blend of…"

I zoned out as he was explaining it and began to look around. I noticed one boy in particular, his back was to me so I didn't see his face, but he had brown hair and what looked like streaks of blonde. He was busy messing with a machine and I could faintly hear the music playing from the room. Nick tugged at my arm and led me out of the room, muttering something incoherent. "Marilyn. Nick. Just the two I was looking for," Warrick called from behind us. "Grissom just gave us a new case. Murder at the Tangiers."

I broke into a grin and said, "Cool. My first murder."

The two men exchanged a look before Warrick said, "I'll drive."

Nick and I glanced at each other before we both called, "SHOTGUN!" and took off down the hall.

I put my kit down in the middle of the room and took a look around. The man was lying on the floor of the small kitchen area, covered in blood. Nick brushed past and walked over to the coroner. "Whatcha got Super-Dave?"

I cocked my head to the side and made my way over to where they were and took a look at the body. The coroner smiled at me and said, "Hi. I'm David. And you are?"

"Mar," I said absentmindedly.

I slowly moved over to the knife rack sitting on the counter. Shining my flashlight on it, I grinned to myself.

"Help me roll her Dave." There was shuffling as the two men turned him onto his side.

"Lividity is fixed and it looks like the COD is…"

"Knife wound," I finished for him. Nick looked up at me and I shined my flashlight on the knife rack. "What do you notice?"

Nick shrugged. "The knives are all there. I don't see how you knew that."

I pointed. "One of the knives is facing the wrong way." I snapped a picture and pulled it slowly out of the holder. It was covered in blood.

"No wallet. No ID," Dave stated.

"Robbery gone wrong?" Nick asked.

"We won't know until we get back to the lab. There's blood on the handle, seems out of place."

Dave grinned and said, "Be careful. If she's around a lot longer some of you may be out of a job."

I grinned and turned back to the evidence.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

I checked my work twice, then before I left for DNA I checked it again, just to be sure. I turned down the hall just as Nick rounded the corner. "Did you get anything off surveillance?"

He handed me a folder and said, "Yep just got this from Archie."

"Cool. I'll meet you in the break room on 10. I've gotta get this to DNA."

I opened the door and Manson hit me like a tidal wave. I set the samples down and spoke to the back of the guy's head, "_The Last Tour on Earth_ is one of the best albums by Marilyn Manson. However, _Mechanical Animals _will always be my favorite."

The guy spun around in his chair and the world stood still. I didn't even register the fact that the folder Nick had handed me was on the floor. The guy I was looking at was none other than Greg Sanders.

It all came rushing back to me. The taunting, teasing, the disputes between us, the way he broke my heart without realizing it. I stood there like a statue as he stood up and came over to me with a lopsided grin on his face. "Hey. I'm Greg. DNA extraordinaire and fellow Manson fan. You are?"

That's when I snapped. He didn't even remember me. How could he not remember me? After all the rumors he spread about me after that night, I was sure it would be imprinted in his mind like it was in mine. He took a step closer and I shoved him with all my might and ran out of the room.

"How long has she been like this?" I heard Nick ask Catherine.

I had been sitting in the break room staring at the wall for a good 10 minutes. The horror and pain of my high school life was drowning me again and again. The laughing, teasing, rumors. The cutting, the blood, the pain, the way it took away pain….

"Mar," Catherine sat down next to me and put a hand on my shoulder. I flinched but she didn't move it. "What happened?"

All I could muster was, "It's him."

Catherine turned to Nick, "Where did she come from? Where was she going when you last saw her?"

Nick took a deep breath and said, "Um I think she was heading to DNA…"

My line of sight was interrupted as Warrick kneeled down in front of me, forcing me to look at him. "How about you come with me to AV and ask Archie about the surveillance?" He held out his hand for me and I hesitantly took it as he helped me up. "It's alright Mar. Come on."

Archie was talking to Warrick and I was nodding along, but I didn't hear a thing they were saying. My mind kept skipping back in time to seeing him again. He pretended as if he didn't even know me…

"I got a call from Brass. They picked up the guy and are waiting for us. Mar, you coming?"

I nodded and followed him down the hallway, keeping my eyes on the ground.

I was on the other side of the glass, watching Brass and Warrick show the girl piece after piece of evidence. It was clear she was guilty, but I couldn't help but wonder. Did he do something wrong? Had he hurt her like Greg hurt me? Was she suffering too?

I was pulled from my thoughts when Warrick came into the room. "We got her. Now her fate is in the hands of the DA. Congrats rookie, you solved your first murder."

I smiled weakly and said, "We. You, me, and Nick. We solved this murder."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

The drive back to the lab as an interesting one. Nick. Warrick, and I discovered our varying tastes in music and we were arguing over what station to play. By the time we got back we were all in tears from laughing so hard.

We were walking to the break room when my phone started to buzz. I took it out of my pocket and my face fell when I saw my mother's name flashing across the screen. "Damn," I mumbled. "Hang on guys I gotta take this."

"Why so glum? Who's calling, the devil?" Warrick asked.

I managed a laugh. "Not quite. It's my mother. Now hush." I turned around and slowly opened the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello darling. How's work?"

"It's great. I'm actually at work right now so…"

"That's nice dear," My mother kept talking like she hadn't heard what I said, and honestly she probably didn't. "So your father and I are going to be in town next week so if you could give us your address…"

My breath hitched in my throat and my head started to spin. "Um-wha- Look I can't really talk right now but I will email you when my shift is over."

"Honey I need to know now so I can make arrangements."

I rambled off my address, we exchanged goodbyes and I wandered into the break room. Nick and Warrick stared at me and I gave them a half-hearted smile, sitting down and spreading the case files in front of me and began my report.

My feet were dragging as I made my way to the staff locker room. Today had caused me a lot of stress and I was ready to go home. I passed Grissom and he motioned for me to follow him to his office. My eyes wandered around the lab as I trudged behind him. We passed DNA and I felt Greg's eyes following me as I walked past.

He closed the door after I had stepped inside the office. My eyes travelled around the room and landed on a fetal pig in a jar, to which I raised my eyebrow but then smiled. In a weird way, it was cute. Grissom watched me as I sat down and he sat across from me. There was silence before he spoke. "What happened today? I heard you pushed one of my lab techs."

I took a shaky breath and began telling him the whole horrid tale. Freshman to senior year, the stories came one after the other and I couldn't stop them. Truthfully I had been waiting for someone to ask me that for a while, and it was nice to finally let it all out. Gil just sat there listening, sometimes nodding or saying, "Mhmm." At some point I had started crying but I didn't realize it until I stopped talking and the room fell silent again. I was expecting thousands of questions but he only asked one. "Are you okay?"

I gave him a small smile and said, "Yeah. I guess. It was nice to finally talk about it all and have someone listen, so thank you."

He gave me a soft smile and said, "As long as you are content with where you are now, the past shouldn't define you. I have only one more request; apologize to Greg. The kid was beating himself up all day trying to figure out what was wrong."

I nodded slowly and stood up, Grissom followed me and opened the door, ushering me out. I gave him a hug and he tentatively hugged back. I had only known him for one day but already he felt like a father to me.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

I slammed my locker door in frustration and sat down on one of the benches, sighing into my hands. Not exactly the best way to start my career here. _If I have a career after the stunt I pulled today. _I thought bitterly. I jumped a little when I looked up and saw Greg standing in the doorway, sheepishly staring at me.

"Um sorry I didn't realize you were still here."

I stared at him for a minute. His hair was a darker shade of brown but he still had those classic highlights. He was a bit taller, and I could see that he had filled out when his black t-shirt grew taunt as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Greg's POV

The girl kept staring at me and I crossed my arms defensively over my chest, studying her like she was studying me. Her hair was a pretty light brown color and her eyes were a hazel color, which looked really nice with her petite face. She looked so familiar, and I wanted to call her out on it, but considering how she had shoved me earlier it probably wasn't a good idea.

My eyes met hers and my breath caught in my throat as I noticed how much emotion her eyes showed. She looked hurt, sad, angry, and a bit scared. _Why on earth is this girl afraid of me? _I wondered. Tentatively I took a step forward and she immediately countered with a step backwards. I frowned slightly as she crossed her arms over her chest, mimicking me and almost defending herself against me.

She took a deep breath and her voice came out quiet and sad when she addressed me. "I'm sorry I shoved you. I was out of line and it wasn't right."

"It's okay," I said a bit too quickly. Her voice sounded so familiar. I made a bold move and decided to ask her. "This may seem really cliché but I swear this is not a pickup line, but do I know you?"

Her face fell and I immediately knew something was wrong. I heard her whisper, "Of course," and she ran past me, stopping at the door and looking at me. "Woolridge High School. Class of '98."

And with that she was gone.

I slammed the door to my apartment and ran into my bedroom, yanked open the closet door and pulled down the box with my yearbooks. I grabbed the one from 1998 and rifled through it until I got to the seniors. Slowly I took in each face, comparing them to the girl from the lab. I was frustrated that I didn't know her name.

An idea dawned on me and I pulled out my phone, texting Nick and asked him what the new girl's name was. He replied back in seconds with one word; _Mar. _I frowned. That wasn't much to go on, but I sensed that was all I would get from him. I decided to text Warrick and ask him, still absentmindedly flipping through the yearbook. I got to the S's and saw my goofy face smiling back at myself. My phone dinged and Warrick's response was a bit longer, and not what I was expecting. _Marilyn. Don't know her last name. _

Marilyn.

Marilyn.

Where have I heard that before? My eyes widened when the impossible came to me. _Could it be? _I thought to myself. I ran my finger down the line until I came to one name, then slid my finger across to the picture. Staring up at me was the girl from today. My eyes traveled to the name that accompanied the picture.

**Marilyn Sorenson**

I stumbled backwards and hit my head on the footboard of my bed. _Oh. My. God. _My brain as moving a mile a minute. The girl I would see walk in the hallway, get beat up, who lived across from me, who was adorable beyond words, who I was so awful to because I was scared, was now my new colleague.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Marilyn's POV:

I slammed the door to my small apartment and let out a shaky sigh. Why did I tell him that? I should've just let it go, started over. I dropped my bag in my bedroom and turned on the water in the bathroom, ready to take a long, relaxing shower.

I let the water pelt my back as I stood there, unmoving. My mind, no matter how much I tried to avoid it, kept drifting back to Greg and the locker room. I kept trying to move past it, but my mind just kept going over his face in my mind. The defined jawline, the way his hair was out of control but styled at the same time, his eyes… _Stop it Marilyn. _I scolded myself. _This is the same boy who teased you all throughout high school. Forget about the feelings you have, no had. You HAD feelings for him. Now he is just some guy you work with. Do not let him get inside your head._

After my little pep talk I turned off the water and got dressed for bed, which was strange since the sun was in the sky.

Greg's POV:

I kept tossing and turning, her face appearing every time I closed my eyes. The way her eyes widened when she saw me, how scared she seemed, and now I know why. I mentally cursed myself and threw off the covers, tossing a shirt on, I grabbed my keys and phone, ready to go pound out my frustration at the gym.

Marilyn's POV:

An annoying buzzing woke me up from my deep sleep, subsequently scaring me at the same time. I rolled over and squinted at my phone, then I fumbled with it before I finally got it open. "Sorenson," I spoke groggily.

I heard a laugh on the other end when Nick's voice filled my ears. "Morning sleepyhead."

I glanced at my clock and rubbed my eyes, propping the phone between my shoulder and head. "Actually, it's nighttime," I smiled sleepily.

"Exactly, so consider this your wake up call. Time for work."

I grumbled and swung my feet over the edge of the bed. "Nick this whole you as my alarm clock thing is not going to work out."

"Hurry up. There was a bus crash. It's all hands on deck."

I hung up and walked over to my closet, pulling on a pair of dark, almost black, jeans, plain navy blue t shirt, and a blazer. I ran around turning off the lights and getting my things together before grabbing my combat boots and locking my door behind me.

**A/N: So the case I am going to use in the next few chapters is from Season 2 Episode 18, where Greg responds to the bus crash even though he has no field training. Throughout this story I may use cases from the show to develop Greg and Marilyn's relationship. The ideas behind those cases are not mine and I do not intend to copyright them.**


	9. Author's Note

So hi. First off thanks to all who are taking the time to read this, and thank you for getting this far. I'm new to the fanfiction world and I still have a lot to do, but I thought I'd explain a few things.

I'm in college so for those of you following this story I will update as regularly as I can. And think you for following DNA. Feel free to leave comments because I love hearing what you think and feel free to leave suggestions in my inbox.

As I've read through this, yes there are typos and whatnot but I'm not perfect. I'm sorry for the mess ups and I will triple check next time.

If you are still reading this, then thank you. There isn't a whole lot left I want to say, so have a good night/day/whatever time it is where you're from.

Lots of love 3


	10. Update

Quick Update:

Okay so I know that there hasn't been an update for the story in forever, and I apologise. I had about 13 chapters written, but I got into a car accident and completely trashed my laptop, so the files went bye-bye. I am working on the next chapter, but since I am basing it around an episode it is taking me longer than it should. I will try to have it done by the end of the week. Thank you to those who are reading this and MASSIVE thanks to those of you kind enough to leave a review. It always brightens my day.


	11. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

I pulled up to the scene and almost hit 5 different people. There were hundreds of them around and chaos was everywhere. I climbed out of my truck and pulled my jacket tighter against my torso, silently cursing at the cold. Grabbing my kit I made my way over to where everyone was standing. As I approached I had to hold back a gasp as I looked at what was in front of me. There was a giant bus lying on its side and a car underneath it. Hundreds of rescue squad members and injured people scurried around like ants. I made my way over to where the team was standing, grim looks on their faces.

"Hi guys," I mumbled quietly. "What happened here?" I stood solemnly between Nick and Warrick as we watched the rescue team run around, practically overturning the scene.

Warrick turned his head towards me and spoke in the same grim tone, "Bus crash. Rescue is down there now. We can't do anything until they clear the scene."

Sara spoke up from her spot next to Grissom. "I feel so useless."

"There's nothing we can do until the rescuers clear the scene." Grissom said.

I scanned the scene again. "Tonight is going to be a long night."

We were finally granted access to our crime scene. As we made it to the bottom of the hill I felt my stomach churn. Faintly in the distance I heard a woman calling out, asking for her husband. I focused back on Grissom as he began handing out assignments. "Okay. We are going to treat this like it is the worst case scenario. Sara, Warrick, you two work the road."

"It is a long stretch of road. We are going to need as many hands as we can get," Warrick pointed out.

Sara looked between Grissom and Warrick before suggesting that they call in the cadets. "Call them," Grissom stated as he turned to Catherine. "Catherine you are working the Camaro." She nodded and silently went over to where the car was buried halfway under the bus.

Grissom motioned for me to follow him as we walked wordlessly with Nick along the row of bodies. I studied each one for a few seconds before turning away with a pit in my stomach. Suddenly a familiar head of hair wove through the people and a breathless Greg stopped in front of us. "What are you doing here Greg?" asked Grissom.

"All hands on deck. That was the call right?" Greg said, still slightly out of breath. It didn't help that it was freezing outside.

Grissom gave him a pointed look before turning to me and Nick, "You two, watch him."

I opened my mouth to object but Grissom had already moved on and left us awkwardly standing there. "Okay team," I said with a false amount of excitement. "Let's do this thing." Nick just rolled his eyes and mumbled something incoherent as I turned my attention to Greg, who was literally shaking from the cold. He sheepishly glanced my way before fixating on his shoes, clearly trying to avoid my gaze. "Greg," I turned and motioned for him to follow. "Come here."

Trudging back up the steep embankment with Greg in tow, I stopped at my truck and popped open the trunk. Along with all my crime scene kits and papers, I had some spare clothes stuffed in there in case of emergency. My hands rummaged around for a bit before pulling out a huge black coat and giving it to Greg, who was still quivering behind me.

"What's this?" He asked before reluctantly taking the jacket.

"It's an explosive device rigged to blow the second you put it on," I deadpanned. "It's a jacket, genius."

"Whose is it? Your boyfriend's?" He rolled his eyes as he shrugged on the jacket.

I turned around and closed the trunk of the car as I let out a humourless laugh. "It's my dad's actually," I managed with a steady voice.

"Why is it in your car?" He asked, shoving his hands into the pockets.

***FLASHBACK***

It was my seventeenth birthday and my dad had made reservations at a very upscale restaurant so later on in life he could look back and say he tried. Even though it was my birthday, my father and mother had meetings scheduled all day so I was supposed to just meet them at the restaurant.

I stood in front of my mirror, scrutinising my outfit choice for the umpteenth time. My navy blue dress fell to my knees and, according to the woman who helped me pick it out, brought out my green eyes. The neckline was sweetheart, and the long lace sleeves ended exactly at my wrists, so I didn't have to worry about wearing bracelets to make them look longer. Taking a deep breath I shoved my feet into my converse, grabbed my small bag from the bottom of my bed with my phone and car keys in it, and walked out to my car.

As I locked the door to my house I heard footsteps approaching my porch. Turning on my heel I saw Greg standing there with his hand shoved in his pockets and a sheepish expression on his face that I secretly found adorable. "What Sanders," I spat. "I have somewhere to be."

"I- well actually my family wanted me to give you this," he held out a small rectangular box. "I know that we are not friends but my parents like yours so for the sake of their happiness and my longevity, please pretend you are thrilled with the gift I am so kindly giving to you."

I glanced over at his house and saw his mother give me a small wave from their porch. I flashed a fake smile of my own and took the box from Greg. "Is that all?" I asked in a clipped tone.

He nodded and sauntered back over to his house. I climbed into my car, chucked the box onto the passenger seat, and began my drive to the restaurant.

I tossed my car keys to a timid valet and trudged my way into the restaurant. After giving my name to the cranky hostess at the podium I followed her through the dimly-lit dining room towards my unsmiling parents. I slid into my seat and took a quick glance at both of them before finding my hands particularly interesting.

"Sneakers? Really Marilyn? I thought for once you would have enough sense to dress like a lady for once in your life," my mother scolded.

"I'm sorry mother," I mumbled at my lap. "I thought it would be safer to drive with sneakers instead of deathtraps."

"Oh don't be so dramatic," my mother scoffed. She took a sip from her wine before saying something else. "However, that dress is… nice."

A small smile slipped across my stone features before silence fell upon the table once again. I could feel my father's eyes burning into my skin as he scrutinized me as I sat there practically motionless. "I don't like it," my father suddenly stated. I jumped a little in my seat as he continued, "How could you think something like that is even moderately appropriate for this restaurant? My god Marilyn are you trying to embarrass us?" He shrugged off his jacket before practically throwing it at me. "Cover up."

Tears pricked my eyes as I wordlessly slipped the jacket over my shoulders. His overwhelming cologne suffocated me as it drifted off the jacket into my nostrils. "I'm not feeling well." I stammered as I pushed the chair back. "I think I'm going to go home and lie down."

Happy birthday to me.

***FLASHBACK OVER***

"Mar? Hello?" Greg's voice brought me out of my daze.

"Huh? Sorry I kinda zoned out," I sheepishly admitted.

He flashed me his signature Sanders smile before saying, "Hey it's cool. Thanks for the jacket."

"Anytime," I smiled as I slowly made my way back down the embankment. "We can't have you freeze to death. I mean who would do all our work right?"

We reached the bottom of the hill and maneuvered our way over to Nick. He handed Greg a notepad and pen before making his way through the steady foot traffic all around the scene. I scampered after him with Greg hot on my tail. As we passed Grissom I saw him staring intently at the bus tires with a thinking expression on his face. "Marilyn, come here please."

I slid next to him and focused on the beam of his flashlight pointed at the tire. Footsteps sounded from behind me as Catherine made her way over towards us. "Firefighters say the driver of the Camaro is dead," she states before glancing down at the tires.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say this is why the bus crashed," I volunteered.

"This is why the bus pulled to the right," Grissom corrected.

Catherine nodded her head in agreement. "That is a serious blowout."

My eyes trailed upwards as I shined my own flashlight at the left tire, which was over my head. "This one looks to be intact." Grissom nodded and explained Newton's third law about action and reaction. "So tire to rim, rim to axel, axel to suspension, suspension to frame." I summed up.

"Yes," Grissom smiled at me. "And the lower radius rod arm which connects the axel to the suspension," he shined his flashlight on a detached piece of metal.

"I don't think it's supposed to look like that," I mused.

Catherine cracked a smile. "It clearly doesn't connect anymore."

"If the rod arm broke while he was driving…" Grissom started.

"The driver corrects to the left," Catherine continues.

"Which makes things worse and adds pressure to the right front tire causing it to blow," I finished. "Which makes the bus veer right and go off the road."

"And we're back to Newton," Grissom summarizes. "If the rod iron was the first action." I pursed my lips, mulling it over in my brain. Catherine walked back over to see about the Camaro and Grissom shooed me away to go find Nick and Greg, whom I was supposed to be watching.

I found them talking to the bus driver, who upon my arrival seemed very disoriented. He mumbled his answers about the wheel shaking and kept fidgeting. "How long after your scheduled stop in Barstow?" Nick questioned. The driver continued to ramble about stopping in Barstow, and about someone named Donald. Greg sent me a questioning look to which I responded with a shrug of my shoulders. Nick repeated the question, "I understand that sir, but how long after did the wheel start to shake?"

I decided to ask a different question. "Sir are you okay?"

He shook his head. "No. We're behind schedule. I have to…" he began to stand up and both the boys gently sat him back down on the gurney.

"I think I know why he's acting so strange," I stated. "Mr. Draper, have you had anything to drink tonight?" Greg gave me a questioning look and Nick closely examined the bus driver before asking him to take a breathalyzer. The driver kept insisting he had to go and drive the people. And Nick kept telling him that he understood. I looked the man in the eye and spoke to him. "Mr. Draper, we understand that you need to go, and you can, just not yet. We need to talk to you for just a bit longer, okay?"

The man nodded and Nick held up the breathalyzer, telling him to blow into the end so we could get an accurate reading. The driver got a distant look in his eyes and to my horror, began coughing up blood.


	12. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Bus Crash part 2

The next few minutes were like a surreal blur. I heard Nick shout at Greg to get help, and before I could register what I was doing, my feet were moving me away from the bus driver and towards the nearest EMT. They moved Mr. Draper onto a stretcher and we followed close behind as they carted him up the steep incline and placed him in an ambulance. Greg was muttering apologies all the way up the hill, and continued as we began the descent.

"Greg, quit apologizing," Nick chastised for the fourth time.

"I... I feel bad," Greg replied with a sullen look. "I just… froze up."

"This is why field training exists," I butted in.

"I wasn't expecting blood to look like that," Greg stated.

We reached the bottom of the hill and I turned to face him. "What'd you expect? For it to be green?" I quipped.

"No, it's just… different." He mumbled, fixated on his shoes once again.

"Nick, go ahead, I'll catch up." I waved the Texan away with my hand and cleared my throat, making Greg look at me.

"Are you gonna yell at me?" He asked sheepishly.

I cracked a smile. "No, I'm not gonna yell at you. I'm gonna offer you some advice." He perked up a bit and I had to fight the urge to bite my lip before continuing. "Everyone makes mistakes. It's okay to admit to them, and you don't have to be ashamed of them. Look, the first time I was out in the field, back when I worked in New York, I saw the scene for about two seconds before I ran out and emptied my stomach onto the pavement. This job isn't pretty, and it's okay to acknowledge that it gets to you. Just move on and promise yourself you'll learn for next time."

"You think there will be a next time for me?" Greg asked.

"Yeah, I do," I told him truthfully. "You're clearly passionate about what you do, seeing as you came out here even though you didn't have to, and you clearly want to help. Keep working towards it, and one day you could be a great CSI."

He flashed me a smile. "Thanks. I have one more question though." I shuffled my feet before nodding, giving him permission to ask. "Why are you being so nice to me?" He inquired. "I was nothing but horrible to you all throughout high sch-"

I held up my hand, effectively cutting him off. "That doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done, and you can't change that. Let's just get back to work, okay?"

He nodded and we began walking towards the ruin spread out on in front of us. "So why did you come here? I mean you said you used to work in New York, but what made you move back here?"

"Well I wanted to be closer to home, and something just sort of pulled me here. I felt like this was a place that I was meant to be. That sounds stupid, now that I say it out loud." I finished with heat rising to my cheeks.

"I don't think it's stupid," Greg countered.

I shot him a smile before saddling up next to Nick. "Greetings," I muttered.

"We seem to be missing a passenger," Grissom said, cutting straight to the point.

"Well that's not good. Some might even go as far as to say that qualifies as bad." I said, studying the bus with my flashlight. Nick's laugh boomed across the crash site and Greg's laugh joined his. A smile skipped across my lips when Grissom cracked a smile.

"Thank you for that assessment, Mar." He said. I nodded in response as the boys' laughter died down. "The only one unaccounted for is an ex-con named Calvin McBride. Brass says he wasn't admitted to the hospital and isn't in any of the body bags."

"What about the rest stop in Barstow?" Nick asked.

"They're looking for him." Grissom shrugged.

At the same time Greg and I suggested, "Anyone check the bus?"

Grissom looked back and forth between us and when I glanced at Greg, he shot me a small grin which made heat rush to my cheeks as I bit my lip and refocused on Grissom and Nick.

Nick motioned for me to go first, "Ladies first."

"Oh you're too kind," I said sarcastically as I maneuvered my way inside the wreck with Nick hot on my heels. Swinging my flashlight around, I looked for anything that might resemble a human being. "This is so…"

"Creepy?" Nick suggested.

"Cool." I stated.

"You are too weird," I heard the smile in his voice as I refocused on the task at hand.

I turned around to see both Grissom and Greg staring at Nick and I. "Firefighters only look in the obvious spots," Grissom said, answering Greg's unasked question.

Greg pondered that for a moment before he asked, "What are some of the unobvious spots?"

Grissom eyed me before motioning for me to answer the question. "Well… There are walls, water heaters, one time I heard someone found a body stuffed in the box springs of a hotel room bed."

"I found a head in a bucket of paint once," Grissom chimed in.

"I think I get the picture," Greg said.

"This McBride guy is not on this bus," I concluded.

Grissom was silent for a moment. I swept the flashlight around once again, this time catching it on something shiny. I carefully bent over and gently lifted up a crumpled paper bag with a broken bottle inside. I took a whiff of its contents, which I then passed to Nick for confirmation.

"That is some cheap whiskey," Nick summarized.

"Hey, I drink that brand of whiskey, don't be hating." I blurted out before I could let my brain process what I just admitted.

Grissom and Nick chuckled when Greg spoke. "I pegged you as a Smirnoff kind of girl."

My face turned tomato red as I began to stutter, "It's not like I drink a lot… Or often… It's just… Well… I'm just educated, okay?!" I threw my hand up in exasperation.

"Moving on," Nick said, directing our attention back to the bottle. "I never gave the bus driver a breath test."

"But the driver didn't smell like alcohol," I butted in.

Grissom pulled a bag out of his pocket. "Greg, bag it and take it to the lab and swab the rim for DNA." Nick gently placed the bottle inside the clear bag that Grissom had handed Greg. "You should be wearing gloves." Grissom told Greg once the bottle was in the bag. "Mar, go with him."

"We can take my car," I motioned for him to follow as we climbed the embankment for the third time that night.

Grabbing my keys I unlocked my car and put my equipment in the trunk as Greg climbed in the passenger seat. I was double checking that everything was in its place when I heard my car door open and Greg came over to me. "Here," he held out the jacket I had loaned him earlier. "Almost forgot."

I smiled and placed it in the back of my car. "Thanks."

The ride back to the lab was silent for a while before I spoke up. "It's a good thing we both like the same type of music. Otherwise I would have to spend the entire ride explaining that I am not a devil worshipper, but that it just helps with the aggression."

"I'm glad I can make it easier for you," Greg responded. "You have aggression issues? That is something I find hard to believe."

"And why is that?" I asked as I stopped the car at a red light.

"You're too pretty to have aggression issues." I turned so I was facing him and cocked my eyebrow at him. His face turned red before he stammered. "Wh- What I mean is that you shouldn't have to be angry. You deserve to always be happy, nothing else."

I smiled sheepishly before biting my lip and focusing back on the road. "Thanks." I said as the light turned green. "It's actually been beneficial though. If I wasn't so angry all the time, I never would have gotten involved in MMA."

"You know mixed martial arts?" Greg gaped.

"Yeah, I've been training for about three years now." I blushed at his astonishment.

"That's," He began.

"Weird? Odd? Abnormal?" I chimed in.

"Actually I was going to say that's really cool."

"Really?" I perked up a bit. "Most people find it weird."

"Well it is scary knowing that you could kick my ass in less than a minute," Greg smiled. "But it's really cool."

I pulled the car into a spot outside the lab and killed the engine. We sat there for a few seconds before Greg spoke. "I wanna take you out."

"Excuse you?" I asked.

"Not like a date or anything," he quickly corrected. "You need someone to show you the city, and I can guarantee there is no one better in all of Las Vegas than yours truly."

I rolled my eyes before opening my door. "Let's get inside so we can have the tests for Grissom when he comes back."


	13. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey guys! I am so sorry for the massive delay, but here is a double update for you all! If you want to keep up with this story, you can follow me on Twitter: Carleo628 Enjoy!**

Chapter 11: Bus Crash Part 3

Greg and I entered the lab with the evidence bag containing the bottle gripped tightly in Greg's hand, as if it would somehow disappear. "Hey," I spoke quietly as a placed my hand over his, which was shaking slightly as we walked towards the DNA lab. "What's up?"

He looked at our hands before looking forward, making sure he didn't run into anything. "I just don't want to mess this up."

"Greg, I'm sure you've run this test thousands of times. It'll be okay."

He shot me a smile as he pulled the door to the DNA lab open and gestured me first. I grabbed a lab coat and gloves before turning back to him. "Let's do this."

My pager beeped a little while later, informing me that Grissom was in the lab and was looking for me. I shrugged off the lab coat and made my way towards the door. "Grissom wants to see me, so I'll come back in a bit."

Greg nodded. "I'll page you when I have the results."

With that I opened the door and began my search for a wild Grissom.

Greg's POV:

I let out a sigh I didn't know I was holding when the door shut, letting me know Marilyn had left. I slumped back in my seat with a groan as I tried to control the thoughts racing around my brain. Why was this girl making my head spin? I hadn't even been working with her that long. Granted, I had known her before, but that wasn't something I wanted to dwell on. I needed to sort these feelings out, and fast.

Marilyn's POV:

I managed to track Grissom down at reception before he had gone anywhere else. "You paged?" I asked as I came to a stop in front of him.

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you about Greg." He motioned for me to follow as he began to move through the corridors. "How was he in the field today?"

"Why are you asking me?" I questioned.

"Because you have a good judge of character, Marilyn. Even though you two have a past, you are able to put that behind you and give me an honest answer, which I value."

"I think he did well," I answered honestly. "For having no field training at all he showed great potential."

We came to the DNA lab and I saw Greg looking at a piece of paper in his hands. His eyes met mine and I gave him a wave, indicating he should talk to Grissom. "Hey boss," Greg said, stopping in front of the both of us. "I had a feeling you were coming, so I ran the DNA on the whiskey bottle. Surprise; it's not the driver's."

"Told you so," I butted in, sticking my tongue out for good measure.

Greg smiled and rolled his eyes. "I do have the answer, behind door number 2. It belonged to the man in seat 1C. Calvin McBride, our ex-con. The DNA was in CODIS…"

"Good Greg," Grissom's eyes scanned the report as he talked. "Did you enjoy being in the field?"

Greg's face fell at the mention. "You heard about that too?"

"What?" Grissom asked. "Marilyn said you did an excellent job."

Color rose on Greg's cheeks as he met my eyes. I gave him an encouraging smile as he continued. "I… messed up," he admitted.

"No," Grissom and I both stated at the same time. Grissom gave me a smile and continued, "Marilyn told me all about her time with you in the field. She said you did very well."

"Well then I enjoyed it fine," Greg said with an even bigger smile on his face. He turned and headed back into his lab and I could see Grissom fighting a smile that was threatening to skip across his stern features.

"I'll catch up in a minute," I told him as I pulled open the door to DNA. Greg turned around and beamed when he saw it was me. "I just wanted to say congrats."

"On what?" He asked, puzzled.

"On passing the first unofficial step to becoming a field mouse. I wasn't lying when I said you did well."

He took a few steps closer so that he was standing only a few inches away from me. "Thank you," he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"You're welcome," I replied with the same level of volume. He then enveloped me in a hug, which I returned by wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face in his chest. He sighed after a few seconds and slowly let his arms drop back to his side. I smiled softly at him, "I have to go catch up with Grissom, but I'll see you later."

I left the lab with an even bigger smile on my face, until my phone pulled me out of my stupor. "Sorenson," I replied curtly.

"Hey it's Nick. Would you mind coming down to autopsy?"

"I would love to," my excitement practically resonated through the phone. "I'll be there soon."

I hung up and made my way down to the land of the dead. Slipping on a lab coat I pushed open a large swinging door, being greeted by Nick and a man whom I assumed was the medical examiner. The elder man smiled as I approached the table. "Marilyn, I presume?" He asked while holding out a hand for me to shake.

I took it and smiled politely. "Yes sir, that's me."

"I'm Dr. Al Robbins, it's a pleasure." He turned to both Nick and I before opening the report and filling us in. "I can start off by telling you that this man wasn't drunk."

"I knew it," I chimed in, always happy to be right.

"He wasn't drunk?" Nick reiterated.

"Listen to the good doctor Nick, gosh." I teased.

He elbowed me as Dr. Robbins continued. "There wasn't a drop of ethanol in his system. Not even from cough syrup."

"The guy could barely formulate a sentence. If he wasn't drunk than what was he?" Nick pressed.

"Crazy? Loopy? Off his rocker? Nuts?" I offered.

Doc cracked a smile before answering. "My guess is that he was hungry."

"Okay I understand being cranky or grumpy from lack of food, trust me I have been, but aren't his symptoms a tad extreme?" I questioned.

"His medical evaluation from last month; Martin Draper, 40, overweight, one of the 15 million people in this country suffering from type 2 diabetes."

"Medication?" I questioned, peering at the report the Doc has passed to Nick.

"The primary course of treatment would have been exercise and weight loss to lower blood sugar," Dr. Robbins offered.

"Call me rude, but it doesn't seem like this guy was hitting the gym," I said, scanning the overweight corpse on the table.

"He was dieting. Crash dieting. Didn't find any food in his stomach, he hadn't eaten anything in at least six hours."

"How do people do that?" I mused out loud.

At this point Grissom had entered the room and was just catching the tail end of our findings. "An empty stomach can sometimes lead to hypoglycemia," Doc summed up.

Grissom cut in with, "Symptoms which can mirror intoxication."

"And in some cases," Doc pointed a pen a Grissom, giving him a quick pop quiz.

"Can lead to loss of consciousness and seizures," Grissom finished. "Do I pass?"

"With flying colors," I chimed in.

They both grinned as Grissom continued, "Cause of death?"

"Just what you'd guess. Massive internal injuries and internal bleeding," Doc answered.

Nick, who had been quiet the whole time, spoke up. "So if it's not the driver…"

"We blame the bus," I finished.

"Speaking of the bus," Grissom said, looking at him phone, "The parts just arrived. Nick, the company should be faxing over a maintenance report soon, go wait for that." Nick shrugged off his lab coat and exited the morgue. "Mar, would you come with me please?"

"I'd be honored," I smiled, taking off my own coat. I waved goodbye to Doc Robbins and followed Grissom back into the heart of the lab.


	14. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Bus Crash Part 4

As Grissom was instructing the men where to put the entire front undercarriage of the bus, I waited patiently in the corner for instructions. I allowed my thoughts to wander, but they kept coming back to a certain DNA tech. I had to fight the urge to smile when I thought about his face after he heard Grissom tell him what I said; he looked like a kid on Christmas. My daydream ended far too soon, however, when Nick entered the room with papers in his hand. "The bus company just faxed over the maintenance report. The bus was in perfect working order," Nick summarized.

"Clearly not," I spoke, pushing myself off the wall and over towards the two men.

"It says here it was serviced last week," Nick defended.

My eyes fell on the mangled metal at our feet, my mind wondering exactly what happened to this bus. After a few moment of silence, Grissom spoke. "Does this look like it's in perfect working order?"

I raised my hand like I was back in school. "I'd like to volunteer an answer; No." We were joined by Sara and Warrick, who hopefully held some sort of news. "Please give us something. I really need a coffee break," I practically begged.

"You'll get your coffee soon," Grissom promised. "What'd you get?" He turned back to Warrick and Sara.

Warrick held up an evidence bag with a bolt inside. "Three quarter inch bolt. It matches the specs on the bolts for this bus's suspension system. The machine says it's a grade 8."

"Did the thing snap in half?" I questioned, examining it closely.

Sara explained, "Bolts are graded according to their hardness. The higher the grade, the stronger the steel."

Nick chimed in, "A grade 8 bolt shouldn't snap like a toothpick."

"So is this one defective or what?" I passed the bag to Grissom, who looked it over carefully.

"Did you do a Rockwell Hardness Test?" He asked Warrick.

"Yep. I hit it with the true blue. It's not a grade 8, it's a grade 5."

"Well shit," I mumbled.

Grissom glanced the bolt in the bag, then at three bolts that were on the carriage in front of him, then back to the one in the bag again. "Often when there's one, there's another one."

"So the bus company is using phony bolts? Could that cause a crash this massive?" I asked.

"Inferior bolts could cause the suspension to give, then the bus veers off the road," Grissom answered.

"Well that's just not cool," I crossed my arms over my chest.

Grissom shot me a smile, "Not cool indeed."

"That is if the sheered bolts were the first action," He followed up.

"The bolt snapped mid-way through the skid," Warrick answered. "After the bus hit the k-rail."

"There goes that theory," I sighed.

"Proof?" Inquired Grissom.

"The gouge in the road," Sara answered.

"Broken rod arm, maybe?" I suggested.

Nick shrugged. "Okay. Driver hits the brakes, initiates the skid."

"Why did he hit the brakes," I mused.

"Another vehicle?" Nick offered.

"No," Sara chimed in. "There were only two sets of fresh skid marks on the stretch of highway."

"Yeah and the Camaro's skid marks place it behind the bus," Warrick followed up.

"So I reiterate Marilyn's question; why did he hit the brakes?" Grissom finished.

"There could be a million reasons," Nick replied.

"Well fortunately we are only looking for one," Grissom responded.

Shortly after the discussion, the group dispersed. Grissom and Warrick headed out to the bus company, Nick and Catherine went back to the scene to work on the Camaro, and Sara went to go sort through the rubber collected on the highway. I took this opportunity to head to the break room to make myself a cup of coffee.

I entered the room to find two people already in there; Archie from AV and the guy from the trace lab, Hodges I think. I gave them both a smile and a wave before walking over to the coffee machine.

"Hey Mar, how's the case?" Archie questioned.

I sighed as the coffee reached the rim of the cup. "It's going. So far we have no idea why the rod arm broke or what caused the suspension to crap out." I sat down at the table across from the two men and slowly sipped the beverage.

Archie's pager went off and he offered me a smile. "You'll figure it out, don't worry. Good luck." And with that he stood up, leaving only me and Hodges at the table.

"So how long have you been working here?" I asked. Trying to start conversation.

"About three years," He replied with a taunt smile.

"That's cool," I offered, frowning slightly when I realized my coffee was already half gone.

"You're worse than Sanders," Hodges teased, gesturing to my coffee.

"When it comes to coffee? Oh I know. When we lived next door to each other I could always tell when he didn't have his coffee…" I trailed off when I saw the look Hodges was giving me. "What?"

"Nothing, I just didn't know you two knew each other."

"That's putting it nicely. We moved there when I was 10, so for the first few weeks of school I didn't really know anyone, until Greg introduced himself. We were actually pretty good friends, until the summer before eighth grade. Then he just got really distant, stopped talking to me. I confronted him about it, actually. One day at school, I went up to him and asked him why he hated me, if I did something wrong, and he just humiliated me in front of the whole class."

"Wow." Hodges was quiet after that.

"Sorry to dump that on you, I really need to learn to think before I speak," I fixated my eyes on my empty coffee mug.

"No it's okay, I just wasn't expecting that," Hodges reassured me. His eyes flitted over my shoulder and a new emotion crossed his face. "I'll leave you two alone."

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Greg standing in the doorway. His eyes met mine and I knew he had heard everything. "So do you talk to everyone about me or just Hodges?" He asked bitterly.

"I didn't mean to tell him that! We were talking about coffee and he said I was just like you when it came to caffeine. I told him we knew each other, and the rest just came out. I didn't mean to bad mouth you, I just told the truth," I fired back.

He pulled out the chair on my right and we sat in silence for a second before he spoke, "Do you know why I pushed you away?"

"No. You didn't give me an answer. You just told me that you were only friends with me because your mother told you to be, and you were glad you didn't have to pretend to like me anymore." My voice got quieter as I spoke; the cruelty of the words pricking me like they had so many years before.

"I didn't mean that," He said in a voice that made my heart hurt. I looked up at him and saw he had tears threatening to spill over the brims of his eyes. "I hated myself for say that, for hurting you that way. You're mother came by our house the day before that, told my mother that she wanted me to stay away from you. No explanation, just scared the shit out of me. I was so angry at her, and at my own mother for forcing me to respect her wishes. I took that anger out on you the next day. I should have fought harder to stay friends with you, because honestly, you were the best friend I had ever had."

I reached over and grasped his left hand, interlacing our fingers and giving his hand a squeeze. "It's alright Greg, you did what you were told, and I can't be mad at you for that. If anything, my mother is the one I'm mad at. She had no right to tell you that. Please don't beat yourself up over it."

He offered me a smile and squeezed my hand. His pager went off, breaking the spell that seemed to have fallen over the break room while we were talking. He hesitantly let go of my hand before sighing. "Duty calls," he gave me a smile and stood up. "Thank you, for forgiving me."

I flashed him a smile of my own before standing up as well. "You don't have to thank me. I don't blame you for that," I reassured him.

He pulled me in for a hug, wrapping one arm around my shoulders and the other encircling my waist. I roped my hands around his neck and he rested his chin on the top of my head. "You're too good to me, Mar," his chest rumbled as he spoke.

I smiled into his chest as heat rose to my cheeks when he called me by the nickname he had actually started. "I'd better get back to work," I said as I regretfully pulled away from his warm embrace. "I'll see you around."

I let my feet lead me towards my destination with a smile on my face and my head in the clouds. I knew I couldn't feel this way, especially since it was against the rules, but I couldn't help myself. He just made me feel happy, and that wasn't a crime, was it? I shook my head, trying to clear those thoughts as I entered the room where Sara was working. She waved at me as I pulled on a coast and gloves, joining her at the table. "Hey, here to lend a hand?" She questioned.

"I'm feeling so generous, I thought I'd lend two," I grinned and held up my gloved hands.

"Okay you can help me sort through the last of these rubber fragments, the buckets are labeled… Let's go," she grinned at me.

We sorted through the pieces for a good ten minutes, making small talk and getting acquainted. I picked up the final piece, ready to toss it into the bin containing the rubber from the bus, but something caught my eye. "Hey Sara, pass me the magnifier, please?" I asked. Picking up the tool, I glanced at the piece, noticing something odd. I set down the magnifier and picked up a swab, running it over the area in question. After slipping it into the holder and labelling it, I bid Sara farewell as I took the sample to DNA, hoping Greg could give me an answer.

I was certain I was going to wear a hole in the floor because of my constant pacing, but at the moment I didn't care. Greg sat in a swivel chair besides me, twirling a pen between his fingers. "I told you I'd page you with the results," he stated, glancing at me for the umpteenth time.

"Well I wanna wait," I stated, dropping into the chair across from him. "Besides, you get to spend more time with me. What could be better?" I grinned.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," he responded, looking at me with a smile.

I bit my lip as I felt the color rise to my cheeks… again. The amount of time this boy made me blush was unhealthy. "Greg," I said after a while. He looked up from the papers spread out in front of him. "Thank you for making me happy. It's been a while since I've been truly happy." He opened his mouth to speak at the same time the printer went off. I leaped out of my chair and grabbed the results. Greg got up and stood over my shoulder as I scanned the report. "Sabotage," I said as I turned to leave the room.

"Hey Mar," Greg called out. With one hand on the door I turned around to face him. "We still on for that Vegas tour?"

"After the case is solved," I answered as I ran to find Grissom.

I found him with the bus parts, looking between the pieces and the paper in his hand. "Grissom," I called out.

"I know what the first action was. What caused the bus to skid; the right front tire started to come apart. When it blew out, it left an indentation in the pavement," he replied, not greeting me with a hello.

"Warrick and Sara mustn't have seen it."

"None of us did," he replied. "The treads from the right rear tire obscured it. The driver overcorrects, but since there's no more tire, all that pressure goes into the suspension system, bolt snaps, the rod arm breaks, and the bus broad sides the Camaro." He finishes.

"But why did the tire come apart in the first place?" I questioned, fighting the smile that was threatening its way onto my lips.

"I don't know," Grissom admits.

"I do," I tell him. "When Sara and I were going through the rubber pieces from the highway, I noticed a spot on one of the pieces from the bus that didn't look right, so I swabbed it and took it to Greg." I held out the paper with the results on it as I continued. "Chloroform was inside the tire."

Grissom scanned the report before looking back up at me. "Newton's third… with a twist," he summed up. Shortly after Grissom and I left the garage and met up with Nick, Warrick, and Sara. AS we moved through the halls, Grissom filled them in on our findings. "The front right tire was compromised," he concluded.

"I followed up with, "I found chloroform in the interior of the rubber fragments Sara and Warrick collected from the highway."

"Well that's original," Warrick scoffed. "What happened to slashing tires?"

"If it wasn't vandalism it was an act of premeditation," Grissom answered.

"But why chloroform?" Nick asked.

"Chloroform destroys the elasticity of the rubber. Sooner or later the air pressure inside the tire causes it to explode," I offered.

"How much later?" Nick followed up.

"Well that is what we are going to find out," Grissom said. "We are going to need a treadmill."

"A big one," I tacked on.

"Alright," Nick looked at us. "To do what?"

"We are going to exercise a bus," Grissom and I spoke at the same time.

"Warrick tell Larry Maddox it's in his best interest to lend us one of his," Grissom continued. "Set it up in the empty police warehouse next door. Sara…"

"I'll be in trace," she interrupted. "They're gonna love this."

I trailed behind Grissom as we entered a room with Catherine and Brass standing around a table.

"I don't think we were ever properly introduced," Brass said. "Captain Jim Brass."

"Marilyn Sorenson," I smiled at him before focusing on Catherine, who looked at us with disbelief.

"Chloroform in the tires?" She questioned.

"Yep. Pretty weird, huh." I smiled.

"So where are we?" Grissom set his folder down on the table and looked at the pictures spread out in front of the other two.

"Brass sighed before speaking, "Body count jumped to nine dead. Sabrina Wright, law student, seat 9B, passed an hour ago."

"Jesus Christ," I muttered, glancing at the table.

"Twenty three passengers, plus the driver. Whoever tampered with that tire was playing Russian Roulette with people's lives." Catherine said as she shook her head.

"Maybe one of them was a target," Grissom suggested.

Brass hummed, still focused on the pictures in front of him. He began listing people and reasons why they could be a target. "I could go on," he finished with a shake of his head.

"If you look hard enough, everyone has a skeleton," Catherine added.

Grissom glanced at the pictures before picking up one in particular. The girl had medium length dark brown hair, round face, overall she was very pretty. "What's her skeleton?" He questioned.

"Tracy Logan?" Catherine returned. "Seat 8B, her boyfriend was the Camaro driver, he was a doctor. He followed her from L.A., they had an argument in Barstow."

"He didn't want her in Vegas," Brass continued. "First step to stopping her is stopping the bus."

"Does he have access to chloroform?" I asked.

Brass shrugged. "Chloroform can be picked up at any chemical supply store."

I nodded as Catherine chimed in. "Wait a minute. Eric Kevlin was a nervous boyfriend, he wasn't a criminal."

Grissom spoke, "Still possible."

"I don't think it's probable though," I replied. "If the guy was a doctor, why would he want to purposefully cause a crash that would injure and kill people? His own girlfriend included."

"He had motive, access, opportunity," Grissom continued.

"His car should be towed in by now," Brass offered.

With a shake of her head, Catherine offered to go check the car. "So who do you like?" Grissom directed that question at Brass.

"The bus company," He replied, not missing a beat. "Larry Maddox, he talks a good game, but he cheaped out on supplies, and he's been way too helpful."

I lifted my finger to my temples, trying to soothe the headache that was forming. We had absolutely nothing a few hours ago, now we have too much, and it was really starting to get to me. Gil seemed to notice because he placed a hand on my shoulder and told me to go eat something, and that he would call me when Warrick was back with the treadmill.

I walked through the bustling corridors and noticed that a certain DNA tech was looking rather bored, since he was spinning in his chair staring into space. I pulled the door open to the lab and plopped down in the chair across from him, startling him out of his stupor. "Hi," he spoke.

"Ugh," I replied, placing my arms on the table and burying my head in them.

"Frustrated?" He asked.

"I can hear you smiling," I grumbled. "Please stop enjoying my pain."

"Wanna talk?" He offered.

I lifted my head and began recounting everything since I left the room with the chloroform findings. "So now it seems like we have a billion suspects and nothing to narrow it down," I finished.

"Twenty five, actually," he corrected. "Twenty four passengers and the driver, so technically you only have twenty five reasons as to why the bus was sabotaged, not a billion."

I rolled my eyes and let a smile skip across my face. "You know what I mean, Sanders. Don't be a smart ass."

"Nah, you love it," he grinned back.

"Unfortunately," I mumbled just as my pager went off. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to go put a bus on a treadmill."

I arrived in the garage, excited to see how this was gonna pan out. "You know," I heard Warrick's voice echo through the otherwise empty space." We need to document this for the Journal of Forensic Science, right?"

I giggled as I approached the contraption. "Is this the twin?" Grissom asked, gesturing to the machine on the ground.

"This is the rear trailing tire of the crash bus. It has the same maintenance record as the one that blew," Warrick assured.

"Chloroform, glass rod, valve core remover. According to Vincent in trace, it's like… pissing down a rope," Sara spoke the last part with clear discomfort.

"Gravity," I summed up.

We watched Sara pour in the chloroform and reseal the valve onto the tire and re-inflate the tire. "Minute, minute and a half, tops," she finished as she stood up.

"Did you see that?" I asked.

"You used your left hand to prop yourself up," Warrick gestured to Sara then to the tire. "Perp could have done the same."

"I'm gonna go dust that right rim," Sara volunteered, leaving me alone with Grissom and Warrick.

"Okay. Drive, he said. But just the speed limit," Grissom quipped as he walked over to the computer to monitor the treadmill thing. Grissom motioned for me to take one of the empty folding chairs at the small table. "Do you play chess?" He inquired.

"No," I replied, sitting down. "Teach me."

And that's exactly what we did. For an hour Grissom went back and forth playing Warrick and I, teaching me the game of chess. About an hour and five minutes in, Warrick's cell phone rang. After he hung up, he filled us in. "Sara is at the print lab. She needs me." He stared at the board for a moment more before calling checkmate and taking his leave.

I took his empty spot and looked at Grissom. "So, what's next?" I asked, gesturing to the board. He smiled and continued teaching me how to play probably the most complicated game ever invented.

About a game and a half later, Nick joined us. "The bus logged in at Barstow at 8:03pm, and the tire blew two hours later."

"If the tire was tampered with in Barstow, it should blow any minute," Grissom said, gesturing to the computer.

"If it was tampered with in L.A., we have another two hours and thirteen minutes to go," Nick said.

I slumped over in my chair and groaned. "For the sake of my mental stability, I hope it explodes soon."

Grissom chuckled," Too much chess?"

"Way too much," I agreed. Sara and Catherine joined us as we all focused our attention towards the tire, waiting for something to happen. I heard some creaking coming from the direction of the treadmill and perked up. "Hear that?" I questioned.

We all jumped simultaneously as the tire gave out and stopped spinning. "Cool," Sara was the first one to speak.

"Well," Grissom said. "I guess it's Barstow."

Catherine was the next one to speak. "Listen, I scanned Eric Kelvin's car and clothes with an ion detector. No trace of chloroform, he was clean."

"So we can cross him off our list," I added.

"I got a hit off that print. Sean Nolan, he was employed by Mojave Express," Sara told us.

"Any chance he was in Barstow yesterday?" I asked.

Sara flipped open the folder in her hands before answering, "His route is Vegas to Grand Canyon, but I'll call Warrick, he's on his way to the bus company right now."

"You know," Nick pipped up. "If this guy Nolan worked for the bus company, maybe his print on the wheel could be legit."

"Why must you be so negative?" I teased.

"I'm being realistic," he fired back with an equally teasing tone.

"I wish we had a who, but at least we have a where," Grissom said.

"We also have the how," I said.

"Okay, Catherine, Mar, let's head out to Barstow and see if the cameras caught anything. I'll call Brass and have him come with us," Grissom offered. I nodded and followed Catherine out of the empty garage and towards the parking lot.

When we arrived in Barstow Catherine went inside to ask about the cameras and Grissom, Brass, and I stood outside waiting for her to reappear. Ten minutes later, she came out holding two bags of chips, one open, and the other sealed shut, which she tossed to me. I shot her a grateful smile as I began munching on the chips. "There were security cameras behind the counter but none were pointed out here," she told us.

"Dammit," I cursed, still enjoying my food.

"Five buses have pulled in here in the last ten minutes," Grissom informed her.

"Not to mention all the private vehicles, truckers, nothing has changed since I was here yesterday," Brass added.

The wheels in my head continued to turn as Catherine said, "Forget about getting a useable print off that air hose." She gestured to the one a few feet away.

"A guy putting air in a tire at a rest stop does not draw attention," Brass continued.

Grissom pulled his ringing phone out of his pocket and took the call while the three of us kept thinking of what to do next. He hung up and faced us, "We have a suspect."

I threw my hand in the air, "Thank god."

"Sean Nolan," he said.

Brass pointed him out when he spotted him sitting by one of the pumps. As we made our way towards him, he straightened up and got a worried look on his face.

"There was a bus crash up the road, nine people died," Grissom told him, cutting straight to the point.

"It's all over the news," Nolan replied, looking down at his hands. "I already talked to him," he motioned to Brass.

"I forgot what you told me," Brass glared at him.

"Wasn't much to tell," Nolan shrugged.

"You're prints were on the bus," I cut in.

Sean shook his head," I'm not following."

"The front right wheel hub." Catherine clarified.

"I work here," he shrugged again.

"Thanks for the news flash," I quipped.

"Julius Caesar, murdered in 44 BC; legend has it that the molecules from his last breath spread all over the world," Grissom told him. "Probably like your fingerprints right? They're everywhere."

"Mr. Nolan have you handled any chloroform lately?" I asked.

He shook his head, indicating no. Catherine held up an ion detector, gesturing towards him, "Do you mind?"

She began moving it around the front of his body, particularly towards his hands. "What are you doing?" He asked nervously.

"She's testing you for chloroform," I answered.

"Turn around, please," Catherine gestured with the machine. The man slowly spun so that his back was facing us and Catherine continued moving the wand back and forth. The machine, which had been making a steady beeping sound, began to pick up and was beeping furiously as she passed it over his back pocket.

"Is that a pickle in your pocket or are you just happy to see us?" Grissom quipped.

I bit back my laughter as Catherine pulled a thin pen-looking tube out of the suspect's back pocket.

"You know, that looks an awful lot like what Sara used to fill our test tire with chloroform," I said, looking straight at the man.

"I just wanted to stick it to him," Nolan admitted, turning around. "Give him a few problems."

"Maddox," Brass clarified.

"All because he fired you for smoking weed?" I asked.

"I smoke one joint on the weekend. My time. And I get jacked as a junkie," Nolan spat, obviously angry. "I can't get a job driving a bus to save my life."

"So you figured you'd just blow a couple of his tires?" Catherine asked.

"Even if the tire blows, the suspension system should keep the bus on the road," He defended. "I've been driving buses for ten years, I've never seen a flat take out a bus."

"There's always a first time," Brass chimed in. He motioned a uniform over to arrest Sean Nolan.

"I never meant to hurt anyone," Nolan said sadly.

"I would hate to be a juror in a case like this," Catherine said after Nolan was out of earshot.

"Second degree murder," Grissom sighed.

"Reckless safety and disregard for human life mitigated by bad bolts," Catherine continued.

"Which was mitigated by greed," I tacked on.

We drove back to the lab in silence, mulling over the case. We went our separate ways once we got inside, myself heading to the locker room to go home. As I closed my locker door, I came face to face with Greg, who was smiling. "How's it go?" He asked.

"We got him," I said in a tired voice. "Now I am ready to get out of here."

"You look exhausted," Greg said worriedly. "Why don't I take you home?"

I smiled at him, grateful for the offer. "I can't leave my car here. Thank you though."

"It's no problem, I can bring your car back later or I can drive you in tomorrow and you can get it then." He insisted. "It isn't safe to drive when you're tired. Please, Mar."

I nodded a yes, too tired to argue anymore. He lead me outside towards his car, and after opening the door for me, he jogged around to the driver's side and started the engine. After giving him my address, I rested my head against the window and fell asleep.

Greg's POV:

I glanced over at the girl sleeping in my passenger seat and couldn't help the smile that creeped onto my face. She was just so beautiful, and she looked so peaceful. I pulled up outside her apartment complex and killed the engine, granting myself a moment to look at her.

After a few minutes I opened my door and jogged around to the other side, debating whether or not to wake her up. I gently opened the door and nudged her awake, regretfully. Her eyes fluttered for a moment and I spoke, "Mar, I'm sorry to wake you, but I don't know which apartment is yours."

She sighed before answering in a sleepy voice, "Fourth floor, number 15."

I gently unbuckled her seatbelt and before she could protest, swung her bag over my shoulder and slipped one arm under her knees and one around her back, so I was carrying her bridal style. I shut the door with my foot and maneuvered my way through the lobby of her building, to the elevators and up to the fourth floor. Coming to a stop at her door, I gently set her feet on the floor so I way supporting her weight on my left side as I dug for her keys in the bag hanging off my right shoulder. After inserting the proper key into the door and pushing it open, I picked her up once again and carried her inside. Shutting the door with my foot, I carried her to the bedroom and placed her sleeping form down on her bed. Placing her bag on the floor, I grabbed the covers and pulled them around her tiny frame, then brushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen over her face. Smiling to myself, I bent over and pressed a light kiss to her forehead and whispered, "Goodnight angel," before slipping out of the bedroom and back into the main area.

I hunted around her kitchen before finding paper and a pen, scribbling her a quick note:

_Mar,_

_ You fell asleep in my car and I didn't want to disturb you. I don't want to leave your door unlocked, so I am taking your keys with me. Don't worry about getting to work, I will pick you up tomorrow. _

_Greg_

And with that I exited her apartment and soundly locked the door behind me.

**A/N: Hello everyone! So this chapter is extra-long because I wanted to get the episode over with so I can move on to what else I have in store. I also feel bad about the huge time gap in my updates, so hopefully this make up for it. Thank you to all who are kind enough to leave reviews, they really make me smile. Anything you want to see in future chapters? I am open to suggestions and would love the feedback. Love you all 3 3**


	15. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Passing Time

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and I was slowly forming a pattern to my life. Work was amazing, I couldn't have asked for a better environment. Nick was like my big brother, always a willing ear and an incredible hugger. Warrick was also like a brother; he always made me laugh and when the three of us were together, we were inseparable. Grissom was like the father I never had. When he learned of my fascination for entomology, he took it upon himself to teach me everything. He was always there to guide me and support me when I had lost my way. Grissom also let me have shared custody of his radiated fetal pig; I had taken it upon myself to name him George.

Hodges had become like an annoying older brother. We were always bickering and calling each other names, but it was all in good fun. Archie was also someone I had grown close to. He taught me a lot about computers and when he found out about my love for Power Rangers, the friendship was pretty much a lifetime guarantee.

Doc Robbins was someone I hadn't expected to grow close to, but I did. He reminded me of my grandfather, whom I only met a few times before he passed away. The man could always make me laugh, and we would spend hours rocking out to old classic music within the depths of the morgue.

Brass was another story. He, like Hodges, developed a love-hate relationship. I was always up his ass about one thing or another, and he would always be the first to reprimand me when I messed up. Nevertheless, I would see a softness within his harsh features every once in a while, which showed me he did care, so I saw him as a uncle- like figure that I was always attempting to outwit.

Catherine was like an older sister, as was Sara. I admired both of them so much, and they were always glad to lend an ear or a hand no matter what the circumstances. I never had any girl friends growing up, so having them kind of made up for all of that.

Lastly, Greg. He was something else. A few weeks after the bus case, he had taken me on that tour of Vegas like he had promised. I had never laughed so much in my life, and I don't think he had either. It was safe to say I had strong feelings for him, and that terrified me. I knew that it was against the rules to engage in a romantic relationship with a colleague, so I pushed them away whenever we worked together and that wasn't easy. Every hug, every smile, every joke would reinforce the thoughts that plagued me when I was alone. I didn't know if I loved him, that was a thought that thoroughly scared the shit out of me, but it was stronger than what I had felt when we were growing up.

My parents had visited me like they had promised; and it didn't end well. Let's just say that it ended up with me screaming at them in the middle of reception, ending the rant with me telling them to get out of my life. Maybe I paraphrased a bit, but let's just say everyone in the lab now knew that I had a very extensive and colorful vocabulary.

Everything was going great… until it wasn't.


	16. Chapter 14

**A/N: The song I'm using in this chapter is the acoustic version of "For Baltimore" by All Time Low. The song was released in 2012, but this part of the story takes place during season 2/3, so just pretend the song existed then :)**

**Also, feel free to leave me comments and ask me questions and stuff. I would love to get to know my readers and whatnot 3 **

Chapter 14: For Baltimore

My phone vibrating annoyingly against the wood of my bedside table woke me out of a peaceful slumber I had been needing for a while now. Peeling my eyes open I fumbled around until I wrapped my hand around the device and answered it groggily, " 'Ello?"

"Good morning sleepyhead," Greg's voice filled my ears.

"Go away," I mumbled, turning over so I was flat on my back.

"Is that any way to talk to someone bringing you coffee?" His voice chided me.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes with one hand and perked up at the mention of coffee. "You're getting me coffee?"

His laugh sounded through the earpiece and brought a smile to my face. "Yes, I am," he replied. "I'm also driving you to work and you aren't going to object. I'll see you in an hour." With that he hung up.

Flinging the covers off I stumbled over to my closet and pulled a plain black t-shirt off a hanger, then turned to my dresser and rummaged around until I found a pair of dark blue jeans. Placing the clothes on my bed, I walked into the bathroom and washed my face off, brushed out my hair and threw it up in a messy bun for the time being. Exiting the bathroom I took off my pajamas, tossed them in the hamper and got dressed.

Making my way into the kitchen I grabbed some eggs out of the refrigerator and began the process of making omelets. Since Greg was coming by, I decided to make him one, knowing full well that he probably didn't make himself breakfast. A smile tugged at my lips as I thought of the crazy-haired DNA tech. _Damn you and you're adorableness, Greg Sanders, _I thought to myself as I finished cooking both omelets. Placing a cover over one, I began to eat the other at an inhumane pace. It was gone far too fast for my liking, but now I had about fifteen minutes before Greg would be here.

Glancing around my apartment I noticed my guitar was propped up in its stand under the window. Deciding to kill some time, I went over to it and brought it into my lap as I settled onto the couch. My fingers gently stroked the strings as I tuned it for the first time in a while. After getting it to sound the way it should, I began playing a few chords, nothing really coming to mind. I pondered for a few seconds before one of my favorite songs popped into my head. Smiling, I began strumming and singing softly.

Greg's POV:

I fumbled with my car door, attempting to close it while balancing two coffees in my hand. I grinned to myself at the thought of Marilyn's face lighting up when I brought her the caffeine she always claimed to need. As I entered the building I gave the man behind the front desk a smile, making my way over to the elevators and up to her floor.

Walking down the hall, I got out the key she had given me a few weeks back and stuck it in the lock. Successfully turning the knob and pushing the door open, I was met by the sound of a guitar. _I didn't know she played_, I thought to myself as I quietly shut the door so I didn't scare her. Placing the coffees down I was about to announce my presence when she started singing.

**Mayday situation overload  
I'm restless, obsessed with your future  
And all my worries they don't bother you  
Collected, you render me useless  
But I carry on**

**Right now, I think that you think that I'm  
Half drunk, searching for something of  
Substance, casually dropping a line, designed  
To keep you next to me  
I can't awkwardly craft in advance  
I know, that you wouldn't fall for that  
You say "Shut up and take my hand"  
And we carry on**

_**[Chorus:]**_**  
I don't wanna say goodnight  
The city comes alive, when we're together  
Why can't Thursday last forever  
I don't wanna say goodnight  
I've never been so sure  
Just do it for the memories  
Do it for Baltimore  
And do it for me**

**Hot damn, look at me now  
I'm all, caught up riding the high of my  
Good luck, casually dropping a line, designed,  
To keep you next to me  
I bet you never thought you would fall again  
So much for keeping this, just friends  
Shut up and kiss me now  
And we carry on**

_**[Chorus:]**_**  
I don't wanna say goodnight  
The city comes alive, when we're together  
Why can't Thursday last forever  
I don't wanna say goodnight  
I've never been so sure  
Just do it for the memories  
Do it for Baltimore  
And do it for me  
(Do it for me)**

**Mayday situation overload  
I'm restless, obsessed with your future  
And all my worries they don't bother you  
Collected, you render me useless  
But I carry on**

_**[Chorus:]**_**  
I don't wanna say goodnight  
The city comes alive, when we're together  
Why can't Thursday last forever  
I don't wanna say goodnight  
I've never been so sure  
Just do it for the memories  
Do it for Baltimore  
And do it for me**

The last note of the guitar faded slowly, enveloping us in silence. I cleared my throat, letting her know I was here. Her head perked up and she jumped off the couch, spinning around frantically. "Greg!" She exclaimed, placing the guitar in the holder. "You scared the shit out of me! How long have you been standing there?"

"I… kind of heard the whole song," I said sheepishly. "Why didn't you tell me you could sing?"

She blushed and focused on her bare feet. "I don't, really. That was nothing, I was just messing around."

When she looked up at me, my heart almost stopped. She glanced at me with her beautiful hazel eyes, slightly wide from the initial scare, her cheeks were flushed due to the fact that she had been caught, and her hands were nervously clapped in front of her. All in all, she looked absolutely beautiful. "That didn't sound like messing around. You were amazing," I told her truthfully. Her cheeks reddened even more as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She seriously didn't know the effect that had on me, and every time she did that it took all the self-control I possessed to stop myself from kissing her senseless.

Marilyn's POV:

I always hated getting compliments, since they were far and few between I didn't know what to say to them so I ended up making the whole situation an awkward one. We stood there in silence for a minute more before I offered Greg a smile. "I made you breakfast," I motioned to the kitchen. "I am gonna go get my shoes then we can go."

I darted out of the room and back down the hall. Grabbing some socks out of my drawer I began rummaging in my closet for my combat boots. I heard Greg clear his throat from my bedroom doorway and I spun around to meet his eyes. "Hi," was the first thing that came to my head even though I had seen him not fifteen seconds before.

"Hi," he replied back.

"Is everything…okay?" I questioned, not really sure where this conversation was going. At this time I was aware that I was awkwardly standing in the middle of my room and I was getting butterflies in my stomach.

Greg opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it and closed his mouth. He pushed himself off the door jamb and entered my room so he was standing in front of me. As a nervous habit, I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth for the second time this morning. His eyes fell to my lips as he slowly reached up and tugged my lip away from my teeth with his thumb. "Don't do that," his voice was barely above a whisper. "You have no idea how crazy that makes me."

Color rose to my cheeks at his words. "How crazy?" I boldly asked, my volume matching his.

His eyes met mine and their familiar mischievous twinkle sent the butterflies in my stomach into overdrive. His right hand was still gently cupping my face as his left arm wound around my waist and his left hand rested on the small of my back, pulling me closer. I rested my right hand on his bicep and snaked my left hand so it was resting on the nape of his neck. I raked my nails lightly through the hair I felt, which made Greg hum in content. "You know," he spoke after a minute. "If you keep this up I just might lose control."

That was all it took for my self-control to go flying out the window. I pressed my lips against his and waited for a response.

It only took him half a second before he kissed me back. The fingers of his left hand dug slightly into my back, pulling me so I was pressed as close as I could have been to his figure. I wound both my arms around his neck as he slowly detached his lips from mine. Opening my eyes I saw he was already staring at me, and that's when what just happened hit me full force. "I- I'm sorry," I stuttered lamely. "I shouldn't have done that. I wasn't thinking…"

I was cut off from my ramblings when Greg pressed his lips to mine again, this time with more urgency. I felt his tongue swipe my lower lip and I hummed into the kiss, granting his entrance. His hand left my cheek and moved to the nape of my neck, where he tangled his fingers in my hair drawing me closer still. Our paradise was shattered when my cell phone began buzzing on the nightstand. Reluctantly I pulled away and rested my forehead against Greg's. "Ignore it," he said, partially out of breath.

"Hmm," I sighed. "I wish." I untangled myself from him and moved to pick up the phone. "Hey Sara," I said after looking at caller i.d.

"Hey where are you? We were expecting you and Greg five minutes ago."

"Oh sorry," I felt heat rise to my cheeks. "I slept through my alarm and Greg had to wake me up. We're leaving now."

"Okay just don't make a habit of it," she teased.

I hung up and put my phone in my pocket before grabbing my bag and slipping my shoes on. My eyes met Greg's and I flashed him a smile, which he returned. He then held out his hand, which I took and interlocked our fingers as we exited my bedroom. We made our way down to my building's lobby in silence, which I wasn't sure what to make of. As we stepped off the elevator the man at the front desk, Anthony, noticed me and shot me a smile. I don't know what it was, but there was something about the guy that made me uneasy and I think Greg noticed it too, because he dropped my hand and looped his arm around my waist, pulling me close to his side and pressing his lips to my temple. He and I made our way outside to his car, still no words passing between us. He unwound his arm to open the car door for me, which he closed once I was securely inside. After he climbed in, he started the car and reached over the console, lacing our fingers together once again as he put the car in drive and merged onto the busy street.

**A/N: Hey everyone! So question time: I wanna know if you guys want/would be comfortable if one of the chapters in the future was smut. I've never written it before but I will give it a shot if you guys want me to, so I want your opinions on the matter. Thanks 3**


	17. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Don't Let Him Get Away

When we were about five minutes away from the lab I spoke up for the first time. "Are we just going to sit in silence for the rest of our lives?"

I heard him sigh before answering, "No. At least I hope not."

"Okay, that's a start," a smile tugged at my lips and from the corner of my eye I saw Greg smile too. "So about the kiss…"

"Which one?" He grinned.

"Stop being cheeky," I smiled. "I'm being serious."

"Sorry," his smile faded a hair. "I know that it's against the rules to have romantic relations with your co-workers. Why do you think I waited so long?"

"Huh?" I asked in confusion.

"I've wanted to kiss you since we talked at the bus scene," he admitted with a blush.

"That was almost two months ago," I said, doing some quick mental math. I took a deep breath before speaking again. "Can I be honest with you?"

"Of course," he replied instantly.

"I've wanted to be with you since freshman year," I spoke with a knot forming in my stomach.

My confession hung in the air as we pulled into the parking lot of the crime lab. Greg maneuvered into a spot and turned off the car, then he turned and faced me. In an effort to hide my burning cheeks, I let my hair fall into a curtain between us as I laced my fingers together in my lap. I felt his hand gently brush my hair away from my face and tuck it behind my ear. "Mar," Greg's voice was soft as he turned my chin with the knuckle of his pointer finger so I was looking at him. "After everything I said to you, about you, when we were in high school… How could you think like that?"

"I don't know," I felt tears pooling in my eyes. "I guess I had hope that the boy I had been friends with when I first moved in was still there, somehow. I knew you were a better person than that, Greg. At least, I hoped you were."

"You are incredible, you know that?" He asked. "You have such a capacity to forgive, even when someone doesn't deserve it."

"I decide who deserves my forgiveness," I smiled at him. "We had better get inside." I changed the subject and climbed out of the car.

"Okay but can we talk about this later?" He asked as we walked into the building.

I nodded and when we reached reception he went one way while I went to the break room to meet with the rest of the team.

I plopped down in the empty chair between Nick and Catherine and shot everyone a shy smile. "I am so sorry I'm late. I overslept."

"It's okay," Catherine placed a reassuring hand on my forearm. "You just closed that double, and you worked your ass off to do it. We all know what that's like."

Grissom walked in, halting all conversations as he handed out assignments. "Okay, I have a trash run for Nick and Catherine."

"Awesome," Nick said sarcastically as he and Catherine grabbed the paper from Grissom.

"Warrick, you're with me. B&amp;E in Seven Hills."

"If it's that couple again I'm claiming insurance scam," Warrick exclaimed.

"And Mar and Sara, a woman was murdered in her apartment off the strip."

"I'll drive," Sara grabbed the paper and we all went our separate ways.

Stepping into the apartment, you could tell the woman was a single mother. Toys were all over the floor, baby food of all kinds and ages was on every surface, and the smell of baby powder hung in the air like a bad perfume. "Hi Jim," I waved at the detective. "Who is this?"

"The decedent is Malory Watson, age twenty three. She was found beaten to death in her shower when a neighbor came by to complain about the baby crying."

"Where is the child?" Sara asked.

Brass motioned to a playpen in the corner. A little two year old boy was staring at us, looking like he was going to cry any moment. "Why don't you get him out of here?" I suggested.

"I'd love to, but the kid cries whenever anyone picks him up. We are waiting for child services," Brass replied.

"And the father?" I questioned.

"Here's the kicker," Brass said with a smile. "Not one, not two, but three people are claiming to be this child's father."

"Oh wow," Sara said.

"You have got to be kidding," I muttered.

"Yeah we need to get a paternity test in order to settle the dispute. All three men got into an argument, so we had to take them downtown."

"Those are three suspects right there. Any one of them could have killed her in order to take custody of the kid," I pitched.

"Or all three," Sara chimed in, shining her flashlight around. "The three of them could have plotted this together, then something went wrong so they had to leave without the baby, they come back and see all these cops, somehow they all end up arguing, plan gone sour?"

"Anything is possible," I quipped. Making my way over to the playpen, I knelt so I was eye level with the kid. "Hi, baby," I cooed. "What's his name, Jim?"

"Jason," Jim read off his notepad.

"Hi Jason," I reached out for him.

"Please don't," Brass begged. "It took forever to get him to stop crying."

I rolled my eyes and lifted Jason out of his playpen, holding him to my hip and started talking softly. "Aw Jim, he's not so bad," I smiled down at the little boy in my arms."

"You wouldn't have said that an hour ago," he sighed. "Okay, since you can handle the kid, what if I arrange for you to take him back to the station so Child Services can head straight over there. I'll send Greg to the precinct to collect DNA from our three possible dads and the baby once you get there. Sara, you wanna start here?"

"I don't mind," Sara smiled and walked over to the body.

"Sara are you sure?" I asked hesitantly. "That is a lot of blood and then there's the rest of the apartment…"

"Go, I've got it. As long as you process everything when we get back to the lab," she bargained.

"Okay, it's a deal," I smiled. "Jim, are you going back to the station now?"

"Yeah I'll give you a lift." He motioned me out the door and followed suit, leaving Sara to process the scene.

I sat in the waiting room of the police station with baby Jason on my lap, talking quietly to him and waiting for Greg to come take his DNA.

"I hope you end up with your daddy," I told Jason. "You know, I never knew my real daddy. My mom said he left when I was a baby, and when I was 8 she married a new man who was supposed to be my new daddy. He wasn't very nice, which I didn't understand for a long time. When I got older I realized, he didn't understand how to love a child because I wasn't his. There is this special bond parents create with their children that you can never quite replace. Granted, he never tried to be nice but that was okay too, because I didn't need him. But I hope your daddy is good to you. No child deserves to be unloved."

I glanced up from the boy's big green eyes and met another pair of eyes. Greg was standing a few feet away from me completely mesmerized by me and Jason. When he realized I was staring he snapped out of his trance and shot me a smile. "Hi," he sat down next to me.

"Hey," I smiled. "Say hi, Jason." The baby, completely oblivious, continued to stare wide-eyed around the police station.

"You're good with kids," Greg noticed as he took out the swab. "Did you mean all that? About your dad?"

I blushed when I realized he had heard me. "Yeah, well it's in the past."

"Amazing," he shook his head.

"What?" I smiled at Jason who had begun to play with my hair.

"Again, your capacity to forgive," he tucked a loose strand behind my ear. "Amazing."

"Don't you have a job to do?" I asked in a teasing tone.

He grinned back at me before handing the swab to me. "The word around is that you're the only one that kid will allow anywhere near it. Can you do it?"

"Oh come on," I rolled my eyes. "He'll behave, won't you Jase?" The baby turned his head at the mention of his name, which made me smile. Greg sighed as he moved the swab towards the baby's mouth. Ever so gently, as if the baby was made of glass, he nudged the child's lips with the swab, and to his surprise, the child opened up without a fuss. "Told you," I grinned as he secured the sample in his kit.

Greg was about to retort when a woman approached the both of us. "Hello," she held out her hand. "I'm from Child Services. Is this Jason?"

"Yes ma'am," I smiled and shook her hand. "I'm Marilyn and this is my colleague, Greg."

He gave a wave before turning to me. "I'll give you a ride back to the lab. I'll be in the car."

The woman sat down across from me after Greg left and I explained the situation to her. After some paperwork and some routine questions, Jason was handed over to the care of Child Services. The woman, whose name was Amy, shook my hand again before we parted ways. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Marilyn."

"You as well," I smiled.

"Oh I almost forgot," she turned back around to face me. "You and Greg make a lovely couple."

I felt my cheeks heat up. "Oh we're not… He's not… We're just colleagues." I managed to stutter.

She shot me a smile. "You are more than that, anyone can see. There's just something about the way you two look at each other. Take some free advice; don't let him get away. Whatever you two have is special, hold it close."

"Thank you," I shook her hand again.

I headed out to the car, mulling over what she had said. Were we really that obvious?

"I have so much evidence for you," Sara greeted me when I walked back into the lab. "Blood, murder weapon, fingerprints, trace, it's all here."

"Okay why don't you put the prints in AFIS, I'll get started on the murder weapon." I suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," she smiled.

We worked in silence for a few minutes before I spoke. "Hey Sara, can I tell you something?"

"Of course," she answered.

"What I say can't leave this room, okay? Promise?" I looked up from the bloody towel bar we had collected.

"I promise," she gave me a smile.

"Okay so this morning, the reason I was late was a lie. I didn't oversleep. Greg came by to drive me in and while I was waiting for him I was messing around on my guitar and he heard me and he was being super sweet so I went go get my shoes and he followed me and we kissed. Twice." I explained in one breath.

"You kissed?" She clarified.

"I know it's against the rules and now I'm scared that I'm gonna lose my job or lose Greg and I don't know what to do!" I threw my hands up in the air.

"Okay, one problem at a time. Kissing is a mutual thing, so Greg probably feels the same way, so no need to make yourself sick over a problem that isn't there, right?" I nodded and motioned for her to continue. "Now, I would go to Grissom. He is your supervisor and he can decide what to do. Also, if you and Greg are serious it is better to tell Grissom now then have him find out later, right?"

I shot her a grateful smile, "Thanks Sara. I needed that."

She smiled back just as the computer pinged with an AFIS hit. "Okay so the print that I collected off the towel bar is a match to one of the vic's neighbors, Justine Randolph."

"Okay, why don't you call Brass, I'm gonna go get the results of the blue fabric trace from Hodges and see if Greg got a match on the paternity test."

I slipped out of the room and made my way into the trace lab. "Hodges, will you be my friend?" I asked as I opened the door.

"No, I don't like you," he deadpanned.

"Damn," I snapped my fingers. "Will you give me results?"

He smiled and handed me a folder. "The blue fibers Sara found of the floor are denim."

"Blue jeans. That narrows it down," I said.

"Let me finish!" He exclaimed. "Page two. The blue denim fibers also tested positive for rust."

"Rust?" I asked.

"Yes. I am also puzzled," he sighed.

"Wait," I smiled. "In order for the fibers to get in the apartment, someone had to have ripped the jeans. What if whoever was wearing the jeans caught them on a rusty nail? That would explain the rust transfer."

"And if you get caught on a rusty nail," Hodges started.

"Sometimes you get scratched," I continued.

"And when you scratch," he began.

"You bleed." I finished. "Thanks Hodges."

I exited the trace lab and headed over to DNA. Opening the door, a familiar head of spiky hair popped up from behind the machines. "What brings you here?" Greg asked.

"I have questions," I began.

Greg patted the extra chair next to him, which I gratefully took. "Fire away."

"Okay, first, who's the dad?"

"The answer lies with sample number two," Greg handed me a folder. "The father of Jason Watson is one Dennis Adams."

"Great. Question two," I pulled out a photo of the blood pool at the crime scene. "Do you see that pool right there, about the size of a nickel? At first Sara thought it was castoff, but now I think it's a second blood pool. Hodges ran the blue fibers, turns out they were denim with a transfer of rust. So then I was thinking; you rip your jeans on a rusty nail, that explains the transfer of the fabric and when people get scratched, they bleed."

"Interesting," I heard from the doorway. I looked up to see Grissom standing there, watching us. "I come with a message. Brass found Justine and has her at PD for questioning. Sara is going over there now."

"Okay do me a favor? Ask Brass to see if she cut her ankle recently?"

"Sure thing," Grissom nodded and left the room.

"And I am about to make your day even better," Greg smiled at me. "Sara did collect a sample from that blood pool and I am running it now."

"Okay so I'll just wait here," I decided.

"Do you wanna talk now?" Greg asked in a shy manner.

"Okay, what are we?" I cut straight to the point.

"After today, I can't settle with friends," Greg told me honestly. "I won't. I let you get away once, and I don't aim to do it again."

"I feel the same way," I admitted. "Which is why after my shift is over I am going to talk to Grissom."

Greg's whole body straightened up. "And say what?"

"I am going to explain us to him and ask for his advice," I explained.

"Well what are you going to tell him? That we're together, or going to be or what?"

"Honestly, I was going to tell him that today is the first time either of us acted upon our feelings, but there has always been something here and I think it's just a matter of time before this was going to happen." I answered honestly.

"Okay," Greg conceded. With the printer fired up and spit out the results on the blood.

"I knew it," I smiled at the paper. "Thanks Greg." I placed a quick kiss on the top of his head before flying out the door and driving down to the station.

"So she'll cop to the whole thing?" I asked, gobsmacked. Turns out, Justine had confessed before the blood even confirmed she was there.

"She claims she was in love with the victim's boyfriend, got jealous and just snapped," Sara briefed me once I joined them.

"Wow," I said. "That's… wow. What about Jason?"

"The kid is going to live with his dad and current girlfriend, so I think he'll be alright," Brass informed me.

"That's good," I smiled.

"I am ready to call it a night," Sara said as we made our way to the parking lot.

"I have one more thing I have to do first," I sighed as I headed back to the lab for a talk I wasn't ready to have.

I rapped on the glass door and heard a faint response. I opened the door and smiled at Grissom, who put down the book he was reading as I closed the door behind me.

"I need to tell you something," I said as I sat down.

"Okay, I'm all ears," he smiled at me.

So I recounted what happened, just like I did when I told Sara. "So if anyone is going to lose their job or be transferred it should be me." I finished.

"How serious is it?" Grissom asked.

"Well I can't speak for him," I began. "But for me I'm hoping it becomes something steady in my life. Greg is amazing and for years I've tried to deny this pull, I guess, I feel whenever I'm around him. I really feel like there's something great between us and I need to try or else I'll just go insane."

Grissom smiled at me before he spoke. "You know Marilyn, Greg came in here earlier and said almost the same thing. Well he was a bit more flustered but I'll tell you the same thing I told him. It is against the rules for co-workers to have romantic relations. However, I have only ever seen a connection like you two one other time in my life and it was the most magical thing to witness. If I see your casework slipping at all, I am putting a stop to it immediately. Are we clear?"

The smile on my face could not have been wider. "Of course. I won't let you down, I promise."


	18. Chapter 16

**A/N: So I was given a request to include a couple more episodes, and I decided that I would use the suggestion of season 3 episode 22, "Play with Fire". Thank you for the suggestions and keep them coming! 3**

Chapter 16: Play with Fire Part 1 (five months later)

I was woken from my deep slumber when I felt Greg's lips make contact with the side of my neck. I let out a deep sigh before rolling over under the arm that was resting over my waist and smiling sleepily at the man beside me. "Morning," my voice was thick with sleep.

"It's evening, actually," he replied with the same sleepy voice. "And we are due at work in an hour."

I sighed again before answering, "I don't wanna."

He let out an airy chuckle before rolling onto his back, pulling me with him so I was resting on his chest. "You really are working yourself too hard, Mar. Yesterday was your third double this week. Please consider cutting back."

I propped myself up on my elbow with my head resting in one hand while I let the other one trace patterns on his chest. "I'm fine, really. I want to help people, and I want to give people closure."

"I get that, I do," he replied, sitting up slightly so his head was against the backboard of my bed. "But that doesn't mean you have to work yourself to death. I just worry, that's all."

I leaned up and placed a chaste kiss on his lips before replying, "You worry too much."

With that he rolled over so I was pinned underneath him, holding my wrists above my head with one hand while supporting his weight with his other arm. "And you," he kissed me again. "Don't worry enough."

I smiled softly at him before leaning in for a longer kiss. I tugged my hands that were still pinned above me, hoping he'd get the hint. Greg deepened the kiss before letting go of my wrists, which I immediately hooked around his neck and pulled him closer to me. The arm he had been supporting himself with shifted as he gently cupped my face, humming in content. The hand that had been holding my wrists fell to my hip as his fingers brushed over an exposed strip of skin, igniting a fire in my belly. My hands dropped from his neck and tugged at the shirt that covered his torso, communicating that I wanted the layer of cloth removed. With a sigh he pulled away and began to brush his thumb over my cheekbone, "If I don't stop now we will both be late." He spoke in a breathless tone and sparkling eyes.

"Fine," I huffed. I rolled out from under him and moved into the bathroom to take a quick shower before work.

Greg's POV:

I watched her figure disappear into the bathroom that was adjacent to the bedroom with a smile on my face. Leaning my head back against the headboard, I had to pinch myself to make sure this was really happening. Every day I did and every day the realization that this was indeed real made my smile grow wider. I was really here, waking up next to the girl of my dreams every day for the past five months. With a smile still etched onto my face I pulled myself out of bed and made my way into the kitchen to start the coffee.

Marilyn's POV:

After my quick shower I dressed in dark jeans and a light blue long-sleeved shirt before attempting to run a brush through my tangled hair. I hadn't had it cut in quite a while, so it fell to my waist and was a bitch to take care of. I had a few unsuccessful attempts at getting the brush through my hair before I gave up and threw it in a messy bun. The aroma of coffee wafted through the apartment as I exited the bathroom and padded my way into the kitchen, when I saw Greg sitting at my counter with two steaming cups in front of him. He pushed one towards me, which I gratefully accepted. We sat in silence for a while, communicating only with our eyes, before Greg spoke up. "I need a favor."

"Anything," I put my coffee down and gave him my full attention.

"I want you to ask Grissom if you could take a few days off next week," he said. I opened my mouth to protest before he continued. "I am giving you a mini vacation because you work too much and you're worrying me. I think it would be good if we took some days off, just you and me. Please?"

I contemplated the idea for a minute before answering, "Three days. I will ask for three days."

He grinned widely before coming around the counter and picking me up in a hug. "Thank you," he smiled down at me before pecking my lips. "I'll be in the car."

"Wait," I called as he pulled away and moved for the door. "Can you give me a second to get my shoes and walk down with me?"

He furrowed his eyebrows," What's wrong?"

"It's just…" I fumbled with my hands. "The guy at the front desk, Anthony… He gives me the creeps."

Greg's mouth set into a thin line and I could tell he was angry. Greg was never one to get mad, but when he did it was a complete one-eighty from the sweet, happy, always smiling guy I had grown to love. "I don't like you being here alone with him, especially if he scares you like this."

"Well I live here, and you have your own apartment. I don't expect you to be here all the time, and that's okay. I understand that you want to go home sometimes. I'll handle it, forget I mentioned it," I turned to go grab my shoes when I felt his arms wrap around my waist as he buried his face in the crook of my neck.

Planting a soft kiss on the skin he spoke, "I didn't mean it like that. I meant I wish I could be here all the time, with you. I want to keep you safe from everything, and it kills me when I can't." He paused for a minute before continuing, "We practically live together anyways…" He trailed off.

I turned my head so I was looking at him from my peripheral vision as I let what he said sink in. "What are you saying?"

He spun me around so I was facing him and pressed his forehead against mine. "What I'm asking is, would you consider moving in with me? Or me moving in here, whichever you prefer."

A grin broke out across my face as I answered, "I think that's a brilliant idea."

His grin matched mine as he pressed his lips to mine in a short kiss. "We can discuss the details later, but if we don't go now we are going to be late."

"Lead the way," I grinned as we gathered our things, he laced our fingers together and we headed off to the lab.

We entered the lab and parted ways with him giving me a kiss on the forehead and me promising to come see him soon. I made my way down the hall and almost ran right into Grissom, who looked me up and down before shaking his head. "Marilyn, how many doubles have you pulled this week?"

"Three," I sheepishly glanced down at my shoes before looking back at my boss. "But I'm okay, really."

"No, you're going to work yourself sick," Grissom chastised. "How about this, if you help Greg in the lab today, I'll stop bugging you about working too hard."

"So what you're really saying is, I'm helping Greg in the lab today and there is no point in arguing because you won't change your mind?"

He shot me a smile before patting me on the back. "Exactly. Now walk with me."

We wove around the people in the hall before coming to a stop in front of DNA. Grissom pulled open the door and gestured me in before he followed. My boyfriend's head popped up and his lips broke into a grin when he saw me. "Here so soon?"

Grissom nodded to the growing pile of DNA that was around the lab. "Marilyn here is taking a bit of a rest day. She'll be helping you process all of this. Do not let her out of here no matter what."

"Copy that Grissom," Greg saluted.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a murder to get to." With that he left us alone in the lab.

I pulled on a lab coat and snapped on a pair of gloves, "Let's get to work."

It seemed that every time one of us cleared a small pile of evidence, an even bigger pile had taken its place. My head was swimming as we had been at this for hours. The printer beeped for the billionth time that night as Greg walked over and skimmed the results. "I have to get this to Grissom ASAP. You okay here?" His eyes filled with worry as he glanced over at me.

I shot him a reassuring smile, "I'm fine. Go talk to Grissom."

With that he bolted out the door and I turned back to the computer, watching the sample run through CODIS.

An hour or so later Grissom came back through the door and inquired about a pair of nail clippers. "Right over here," Greg's tired voice spoke as he reached for the evidence. "I figured it wasn't a high priority since I'd already I. the semen in the victim."

"That only indicates that they had sex. The nail clippers place him at the murder scene," Grissom said. "His nails, her DNA, traces of the booth, etcetera."

"Killer, victim, location," Greg and I spoke at the same time.

"Holy trinity, guys. I need that," Grissom said as he turned to leave.

I let out a sigh as Grissom walked across the hall where Archie and Nick were waiting for him. I slipped off my gloves as I moved behind my boyfriend, who was noticeably stressed out. Bringing my hands up to his shoulders, I began to lightly massage them, hoping to release some of the growing tension. After a few seconds I wrapped my arms around his waist, "He's just stressed. We all are. Don't overthink it, okay?"

He lifted his arm and I shuffled forward so he could wrap his arm around my shoulder. He placed a kiss on my temple before speaking. "Go get some coffee, I'll keep going here."

I looked up at him, worry creasing my eyebrows. "How about I bring you back some, then you take a break? You look so tired." I reached up and smoothed out the worry lines that were resting on his forehead. He smiled down at me before catching my wrist in his hand and pressing a kiss to my palm.

Shrugging off the lab coat I moved to the door and down the hall to the break room where I filled two cups with the caffeinated liquid. Finishing off my cup in seconds, I grabbed the other one and headed back to DNA. "Hey, Sara," I called as I caught up to the brunette. "What's wrong?"

She opened her mouth to speak but never got the chance as we were knocked off our feet as a deafening explosion sounded throughout the entire lab.


	19. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Play with Fire Part 2

Through my dizzy and disoriented state, I could only focus on one thing as my thoughts began racing. _Greg. Where is he? I need to find him. _My eardrums were still ringing and the places where the glass had embedded itself in my skin stung as I tried to prop myself up on my hands and knees. A few feet away I could see Greg lying motionless on the ground, and my brain went into overdrive. I crawled forward, ignoring the glass pricking my palms as I moved closer to my unconscious boyfriend. I reached his side about the same time the EMT's did, shoving them off me as they tried to assist me. My hearing was slowly recovering from the initial blast as one of the paramedics knelt beside me, obstructing my view of Greg as they lifted him onto the gurney. "Ma'am," the medic's voice rang in my head. "Ma'am we need to get you outside so you can get checked out."

"I need to go with him," I stood up and moved next to the gurney. Grissom was there as well as they wheeled him towards the entrance and out to the ambulance. The sunlight hurt my eyes as we emerged and they moved him towards the ambulance. Grissom grabbed my arm as I tried to follow them onto the ambulance. "I'm going with him," my voice came out shaky.

"Mar, you need to get looked at. Your cheek may need stitches and we need to get that glass out of you," Grissom's voice soothed me as they lifted the gurney.

I felt the tears start to run down my face as they closed the back doors and put the ambulance in drive. "Grissom I wanna be with him," I cried harder as the sirens receded.

"I know," He soothed, running his hand up and down my back. "You can go see him as soon as we get you cleaned up."

"Doc," my voice came out shakier than before as I tried to calm myself. "I want Doc to do it."

"Okay," Grissom consented before he turned to the paramedic that was waiting to look at me. "She's insisting our medical examiner look at her. She's very distraught, I'll make sure she gets looked at." The medic nodded and moved away. "Hodges, Archie," Grissom called, beckoning them forward. "Take her to see Doc Robbins immediately, I need to talk to the director. Also, find Catherine and Warrick and tell them when they go see Greg to not leave unless Mar is with them."

Grissom's hand disappeared from my back as he moved towards Sara, who was sitting on the curb. "Mar, let's go see Doc," Hodges put a hand on my shoulder, guiding me back inside. I stood there, hearing what he said but not letting it register as the tears kept falling.

"Mar," Archie's face was suddenly within my line of vision. "Come on." He gently grabbed my hand so as not to irritate the glass fragments. With him leading and Hodges behind me, we made a silent line as we walked down to the morgue.

Archie pushed open the door and Hodges guided me through, Archie's hand never leaving mine and Hodges' never leaving my shoulder. "Come here Mar," Doc's voice pulled me out of my stupor as I numbly moved forward so he could assess the damage. "The cut on her cheek definitely needs stitches, as for the rest they don't look too deep. I'll extract the glass and bandage them. Why didn't a paramedic see her?"

"She wouldn't let them," Archie answered. "She hasn't said anything since…" He trailed off and a new batch of tears sprung into my eyes and began cascading down my face, stinging as they mixed with the cut on my right cheek.

"Okay, thank you," Doc waved them away and sat me down on the examination table before getting the supplies necessary to stitch me up. "Mar, I'm gonna stitch up the cut on your cheek first. It may hurt a bit, but it looks like you only need three or four stitches."

I nodded absentmindedly as he began to clean the cut with a cotton swab and wash away the blood. When he picked up the needle and thread I winced a little as he prepared to sew the cut closed. I shut my eyes and muttered a quiet, "Ow," as the needle went through my skin for the first time.

"I'm almost done," he said in a soothing tone. "This can't be as bad as getting some of those tattoos you have."

"I guess not," I mumbled.

"All done," Doc said and I opened my eyes. "Okay now let me see your palms." I held out my hands, which were littered with superficial cuts, some of which had glass in them. "I only see about six pieces in total, so I should be done in no time."

True to his word it only took him a minute to free my palms of glass and clean and bandage both my hands. The door to the morgue opened and Warrick came in just as Doc was helping me down off the table. Warrick took one look at me before scooping me up into a tight hug. It seemed like my eyes had an endless supply of tears, because they started falling again as I pulled away. "Let's go see Greg," Warrick wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

I stepped out of the embrace momentarily to hug Doc, who returned the gesture. "Thank you," I whispered as I pulled away and tucked myself back under Warrick's arm.

"Anytime," Doc smiled at me. "Oh. And Mar?" I turned back around before I walked out the door. "Greg will pull through. He's a tough guy."

I shot him a grateful smile as Warrick led me upstairs and to the car, where Catherine was waiting. She pulled me into a tight hug which I gladly returned before pulling away. She planted a kiss on my cheek before opening the back door, gesturing me inside. I gave her a grateful smile as I climbed in, antsy to go see how Greg was.

We pulled into the parking lot and my stomach was in my throat as I threw open the door and practically ran inside with Catherine and Warrick hot on my heels. I stalked up to the reception desk and the woman seated behind the counter scanned me up and down with her eyes before scoffing and turning back to her computer. "Excuse me," I asked, my voice in no way polite.

"How can I help you?" She asked in a bored tone.

"We are here to see Greg Sanders. He's the criminalist who was injured in the lab explosion about half an hour ago." My voice came out rushed.

"You need to adjust your tone, missy," the woman snapped at me.

I slammed my hands down on the desk, not caring of I made them bleed or that I made the entire reception go quiet. "Listen here lady. I have had one hell of a day and that is my boyfriend in there. If you don't stop being a bitch, get the stick out of your ass and tell me where he is right now I swear to god…"

At this point Warrick came over and pulled me away from the counter as Catherine went to go find a doctor. He kept one hand planted firmly on my elbow and he whispered to me to calm down. If this had been a cartoon my face would have been fire engine red and steam would be pouring out of my ears; that's how pissed off I was right now. Luckily for everyone Catherine rounded the corner with the doctor who was very polite and understanding, and gave us his room number after briefing us on his condition. Greg's back was turned when the explosion went off so the majority of his upper back was damaged by the explosion. The burns would leave scars in some places but other than that he was going to make a full recovery.

Catherine and Warrick stayed behind to ask him a few more questions while I went to go see him. I found his room easily enough and quietly pushed open the door. The doctor had told us that he would be sleepy for a few hours, but that was just the pain medication. I pulled one of the hard plastic chairs up to his bedside and took in his sleeping form. His right arm was tucked under his head and his left arm, the one whose hand had the IV, was resting on his midsection. I gently grasped his left hand and laced my fingers with his, silent tears falling down my face.

After a few minutes of deafening silence, he stirred slightly which caused me to sit up as he came too. Running my fingers under my eyes to wipe away any tears, I reached my hand up and began running it through his hair. "Hey baby," my voice hoarse from crying. "How you feeling?"

He sighed before squeezing the hand that was holding his. "I'm okay. How are you?"

"I'm okay too." I sniffled before continuing. "I was so worried."

"Don't cry," he reached out with his right hand and ran his thumb under both my eyes, catching the tears before they fell further. "I hate seeing you cry."

The door opened and Catherine and Warrick came in, both of them smiling when the =y saw he was awake. I dropped my hand from his hair and laced it with his right hand before untangling my other one with the hand that had the IV. "How are you feeling Greg?" Catherine asked kindly.

"I'm pretty tired," his gravelly voice responded.

"This won't take long Greg, I promise." Catherine's voice reassured him.

Warrick pulled up a chair alongside me before speaking. "Why don't you tell us exactly what happened, as best as you can remember."

Greg sighed before speaking, "Mar and I were working through cases, and she left to go get coffee while I was mixing solvents."

"Either of you notice anything prior to the explosion? A power surge? A spark? A smell?"

I shook my head no before Greg answered, "Plastic. Burning plastic. I turned around to see where it was coming from. Then after that…" He shook his head ever so slightly. "I'm sorry."

I squeezed his hand in reassurance before I spoke, "It's not your fault."

"Are we done?" He asked in a tired voice.

"Yeah, we're done," Catherine said. "Feel better, alright?"

"Get some rest," Warrick chimed in.

"Guys I'm gonna stay here," I said, not taking my eyes off Greg, who had closed his eyes and fallen asleep. "Please tell Grissom that I'm taking some time off."

"How much time?" Warrick asked.

I glanced at Greg before looking up at my two colleagues. "As long as he needs."

You lose any sense of time when you're in a hospital. The minutes, hours, and days blur together until you don't know what year it is. I had dozed off while sitting next to Greg, and when I woke up he was staring at me, looking a little more alert than he had when I last saw him. "Hey," he spoke.

"Hey you," I sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and yawning. As I straightened up I winced at how sore my back was. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," he spoke truthfully. "Why don't you go home and change into something more comfortable? Or go get something to eat. You must be starving."

I waved him off before reaching out and bushing some of the hair away from his eyes. "I don't want to leave you."

"I'll be fine for a few hours," he responded as he reached out and laced our hands together.

"I'm not leaving," I spoke more firmly before bringing his hand to my lips and giving it a gentle kiss. "You scared me, Greg. I thought… I thought I might have lost you."

"C'mere," he motioned for me to lay down with him.

"I don't wanna hurt you," I whispered.

"You won't," he reassured me, gently tugging my hand. Sighing, I slipped off my boots and crawled in next to him. The cramped hospital bed was infinitely more comfortable than the chair I had slept in, and I sighed in content before entangling my legs with his. "Isn't that better?" he murmured with his forehead pressed against mine.

"Mhm," I hummed in agreement as I tucked our entangled fingers between out chests. He slipped his right hand under his head, which I copied before he pressed a delicate kiss to the tip of my nose, which made me giggle.

"There's that smile," he grinned at me.

We lay like that for hours; talking, sleeping, stealing kisses. It wasn't until the clock on the wall read seven pm that the door opened. Visiting hours were almost over, so I figured it was the doctor telling me to leave. Greg was asleep, so I ever so gently turned over so my back was pressed to his front and I brought out entwined fingers up to my chest. "Catherine?" I whispered.

She turned around and sent me a smile, which I returned. I felt Greg shift slightly behind me, indicating that he was waking up. "What time is it?" His groggy voice hummed in my ear.

"Late," Catherine replied.

"Do you want me to leave so you guys can talk?" I asked hesitantly.

"No, that's alright," Catherine spoke.

"How long have you been here?" Greg asked.

"A while," Catherine admitted. "I've got a lot of time on my hands."

I furrowed my eyebrows at her response as Greg spoke again, "You figured out what happened in the lab, didn't you?"

"Yeah," She pulled up the same chair I had occupied hours earlier. "Yeah, and I wanted you to hear it from me. Both of you." She launched into an explanation about how the hotplate under the fume hood had been accidentally left on, and she had place an unknown liquid under there that had resulted in the explosion. "I'm so sorry," she finished, glancing down at her hands.

"It's not your fault," Greg spoke. "Anyone could have made the same mistake."

Catherine shot us both a sorry smile before standing. "Like I said, I just wanted you to hear it from me first. Now get some rest, and feel better."

"Hey Catherine, wait up," Greg called out. "Please take Mar home and make sure she eats something."

"Greg," I protested.

"I'll wait outside the door," Catherine gathered her coat before stepping outside.

I turned back over before speaking," Greg I don't wanna go home without you." At that moment, I realized something. My apartment, it wasn't home without Greg. No matter where I went or what I did, I could never call any place home unless he was right by my side.

"I don't want you to go either," he admitted. "But you need sleep and a proper meal and you are going with Catherine. Please?" He pressed his forehead to mine.

"What about Anthony?" I asked in a whisper, still freaked out about my creepy manager who always seems to follow me with his eyes whenever I'm in my building. It was severely unsettling.

"Call Nick or Warrick and have them stay with you," he suggested. "I was going to do that myself, actually. I don't like you being there alone."

"Fine," I consented. "But I will be back first thing in the morning." I gently untangled us and stretched once my feet hit the floor. Turning back around, I bent over a place a lingering kiss on his lips. "Sweet dreams," I murmured once I pulled away.

"Sleep well, baby girl," Greg responded. "I'll miss you."

I shot him a smile before exiting the room and following Catherine to her car. "I'll take you back to the lab so you can get your car," she told me as she pulled out of the parking lot. "Nicky should still be there so you can talk to him."

"Thank you," I said as she dropped me off in front of the crime lab. Making my way inside, I first went to my locker to grab my bag before I went to find Nick. I found him in the break room, surrounded by papers.

"Hey there," Nick smiled as I sat down next to him. "How's Greg?"

"Good," I smiled. "He should make a full recovery within a few weeks."

"I'm happy to hear that," Nick ruffled my hair before returning to the papers in front of him.

"Nick I have a favor to ask you," I said.

"Sure, what's up?" He put down his pen and turned to face me.

"Well my building has a manager named Anthony and he gives me the serious creeps, and with Greg in the hospital I'm all alone and normally that wouldn't be a problem but there is just something really unsettling about this guy so I was wondering, if it wasn't too much trouble, if you could stay with me for a few nights?"

"Not a problem at all," he smiled at me. "Just let me finish up here and then we can go."

"You are seriously the best," I smiled at him. "I need to go find Grissom, but I'll meet you in reception." I moved through the halls towards Grissom's office, and as I reached my destination I almost collided with Sara, who brushed by without a word. "Grissom, is now a bad time?" I asked uncertainly.

"No, what do you need?"

"I was just wondering if I could take a few weeks off?"

He smiled at me, "How long?"

"Until Greg comes back," I answered immediately.

"Of course," he pulled me in for a hug. "I'm glad you're both okay."

"Me too." I let go and bid him goodnight before meeting Nick at reception and heading home.


	20. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Night Out

My alarm pulled me out of my slumber as its annoying beep rang throughout my apartment. Rolling over, I shut it off before sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Grabbing my phone off my bedside table, a huge grin spread across my face when I realized what today was; _Greg comes home today._ Quickly throwing on one of Greg's t-shirts and a pair of yoga pants I practically skipped into the kitchen, where I was greeted by Nick pouring me some coffee. "Good morning," I smiled before grabbing the mug and taking a seat at the counter.

"Good morning to you too," he replied in a sleepy voice. "What's got you so excited?"

"Greg comes home today." Announcing it out loud made my stomach get butterflies. "Nick I can't thank you enough. You and Warrick both have been so awesome, staying with me for these past two weeks."

He shot me a grin before resting his elbows on the counter in front of me. "What are friends for? Besides you would do the same for any of us."

Finishing my coffee I slipped on a pair of sandals before grabbing my car keys and heading out of my apartment with Nick in tow. We hugged before climbing into our cars, Nick was probably going home to sleep and I was headed to the hospital.

Walking the familiar hallways until I reached Greg's room I smiled at a few of the nurses and doctors I passed along the way, determined not to let anything get in the way of my happiness. Pushing open the door I was greeted with the sight of Greg's back, as he was packing up his clothes into the small duffel I had brought him during his stay here. I cleared my throat and he spun around, his grin matching mine when he saw me in the doorway. "Hey baby," I walked over and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Ready to come home?"

"More than ready," he replied as he zipped up the bag and slung it over his shoulder. Lacing his fingers with mine we walked back out to my car carrying a casual conversation.

"By the way, I forgot to mention that Grissom gave both of us the rest of this week off. He said it would be good for us to mentally prepare for returning to work," I explained as I drove us towards my apartment.

"Today is Tuesday so is he giving us until Saturday or Sunday?"

"He wants us back on Sunday," I pulled into my spot and cut the engine. "Which means it gives us about four days to do absolutely nothing."

We rode the elevator up to my apartment and when we opened the door, Greg surprised me by wrapping his arms around my waist from behind and spinning me in a circle. Once my feet were planted back on the ground, I turned around still in his arms and gave his shoulder a playful whack. "What was that for?"

He placed a lingering kiss on my lips before responding, "Because I'm here, with you, home. And I don't want to be anywhere else."

I smiled before placing a kiss on his cheek. "You are such a sap."

I moved out of his arms, but he caught me by the elbow before I moved two steps. "You missed," he said with a cheeky grin.

I put on my innocent face before answering, "No I didn't." He stuck his lower lip out in a pout and I almost melted into the floor. "If you come cuddle with me I'll reconsider," I said, motioning to the couch.

"Deal."

And that's how the rest of our week went by. Cuddling, kissing, a whole lot of takeout and some really crappy movies, but it was one of the best weeks of my life. Saturday morning rolled around and the smell of fresh coffee pulled me from sleep and sent me stumbling after the source. I found Greg in the kitchen, humming to himself as he finished making pancakes. I smiled at the sight before me as I walked up behind him a wrapped my arms around his waist. "Good morning," I planted a kiss between his shoulder blades before I unhooked my arms and moved so I could see his face.

"Good morning to you too," he kissed me on the forehead before handing me a cup of coffee and a plate of pancakes. We sat at the counter and ate in comforting silence, seeing as it was 10am and our internal clocks were all kinds of messed up. "Let's do something tonight," Greg spoke as we placed our dishes in the sink.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked before pouring myself a second cup of coffee.

"Let me take you out to dinner. Or we can go dancing. There is this new club a few blocks from here that Warrick said was worth checking out." He wrapped his arms around me from behind and began lightly drawing patterns on my stomach through my shirt.

"I'm up for whatever you want to do," I tell him honestly.

"Personally, I think we could do both," he planted a kiss on my shoulder. "Give me a chance to spoil you."

"Oh, no," I protested. "You are not spending a lot of money on me. I won't let you."

He moved so he was facing me with his arms still securely planted around my waist. "I will spoil you whenever I want to, because you are worth every penny."

"I don't need you to spoil me," I wrapped my arms around his neck. "As long as I get to be with you and you are happy, I don't need anything else."

He smiled before pulling me closer and connecting our lips in a long, slow kiss. He lightly squeezed my hips before breaking the kiss. "I'll compromise with you. How about I make you dinner then we can go out."

"Alright, fine," I consented, my mind still hazy after the kiss.

"Okay then, I need to run to the store and get a couple things. Are you going to be okay here for a few hours?"

"I'll be fine," I promised. After exchanging goodbyes, he left to go grab whatever he needed and I was left to my own devices. It was 11:30am, so I decided to kill some time by taking a shower in preparation for whatever was to come tonight.

After taking a very relaxing and very long shower, I shut off the water and wrapped myself in a towel and quickly dried off before throwing on an old black t-shirt and shorts. Toweling my hair I made my way into my bedroom to choose clothes for later tonight. As I was rummaging through my closet my hand brushed a shopping bag that I had haphazardly shoved in there a few months ago. My cheeks turned slightly red when I remembered what was in the bag. I pulled a set of red lace panties and the matching bra out of the bag before contemplating wearing them tonight. Greg and I had never had sex, but the thought kept coming up every time one of our kisses got heated, which was a good portion of the time. There was no doubt in my mind that I loved him and I wanted to take that step in our relationship, but I didn't know if he felt the same way. _I guess we'll find out tonight_, I thought to myself as I slipped the garments back into the bag and placed the bag back where it was with the thought of giving him a little surprise tonight.

It was around 2:30 when Greg came home, and when I offered to help him he banished me into my room with a cheeky smile and a promise that he was going to make the perfect dinner and in order for it to remain a surprise I wasn't allowed anywhere near the kitchen until he said so. I giggled to myself when I saw how determined the boy was, so I gave him space and let him do his thing. I busied myself with watching movies on my laptop while I tried to stem my curiosity. However, being a CSI, curiosity comes naturally to me so around 4pm I attempted to creep into the kitchen to see what was going on. Greg caught me when I was halfway down the hallway and proceeded to carry me back into the bedroom, and dumped me on the bed. He placed a quick kiss on my lips with strict instructions to stay put. Frustrated, I decided to be productive and get myself dressed.

I slipped on the red lace ensemble before pushing a few of my dresses out of the way before I found the one I had decided on earlier. It was one of my favorite dresses; it was black and it hugged my figure before stopping mid-thigh. The upper half of the dress was adorned with sequins and I loved the way it shimmered under the lights whenever I wore it. The arms of the dress came just past my elbows so I decided to add two thin sliver bangles to each wrist. Rummaging through my jewelry box once more, I came across a necklace that made me smile. Gingerly I picked it up and secured the clasp around my neck. Facing myself in the mirror I subconsciously reached up and fingered the necklace with a ghost of a smile on my face. It was the necklace I had gotten from Greg's family on my seventeenth birthday. The single charm was hanging from a delicate silver chain and hit the center of my collarbone. A delicate angel whose dress was adorned with diamonds glittered as they caught the light. A light knock on the bedroom door pulled me out of my head and when I opened the door Greg was standing on the other side dressed in dark jeans, a light blue t-shirt and a black blazer overtop. His jaw went slack as he drank in my appearance, starting at my feet, which were clad in a pair of simple black flats. He slowly dragged his eyes up my legs and over my body until they came to meet my own. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes fell upon the necklace that rested on my collarbone. "You kept that?" He asked.

"Of course I kept it," I said. "It's the most beautiful present anyone has ever given me."

He gently reached up and delicately took the charm between his thumb and forefinger before resting it in the palm of his hand. "You know, I lied that day." His voice was soft as he continued. "It wasn't from my mother. I had it custom made weeks before your birthday, and I was a nervous wreck when I went over to give it to you. You looked so beautiful…"

He dropped the charm and rested his hand against my cheek, using his thumb to stroke my cheekbone. "It wasn't just the best present I got that day," I confessed. "It was the only present I got that day. The dinner with my parents that night was a disaster, and when I came home and opened the box, I almost cried. It took everything in me not to run over to your house and say something."

"I'm glad I made you happy," he smiled. "Now, dinner time."

He led me into the kitchen where he had prepared two plates of chicken fettuccini alfredo and completed the meal with two bottles of cold beer. "My favorite," I smiled as he gestured to the chairs.

"The food or beverage choice?" He joked.

"Both," I teased.

Back and forth we went throughout the entire meal, which was the best food I had ever tasted. Our forks hit the empty plates with a satisfying clang and we finished off our beers before I stood up and began clearing the table. "No, sit down." Greg swiped the plates from my hands. "I'll do them later."

"Not fair," I debated. "You cooked, so I'll clean."

"Later," he put the plates in the sink and wrapped an arm around my waist, leading me out the door. "Right now, we are going clubbing."

After going past the bouncer we snaked our way through the small crowd outside and pushed our way into the dimly lit club. The bass was deafening as the walls and floor shook constantly, and the alcohol flowed just as frequently. I brought my lips to Greg's ear since it was impossible to hear anyone, "Drink?"

He nodded and led the way over to the countertop and slid into a seat, gesturing for me to take the one next to him. "What do you want?" He asked.

"I'll stick with beer," I told him. He relayed the message to the bartender who supplied us with our drinks before turning to other customers. We sat for a while, sipping our drinks and observing the people around us. My drink was gone quicker than I expected, and with it came a newfound sense of confidence. Leaning over I spoke in Greg's ear again, "Come dance with me."

He had a mischievous sparkle in his eye as he leaned closer to respond, "Dance for me."

I pulled back and bit my lip as he smirked at me, the alcohol daring me to take the challenge. Deciding to go with my gut, I got up off the chair and maneuvered my way through the crowd until I got to a slightly less crowded spot in the mass of people. Greg's eyes were trained on me as I began to slowly move my hips to the rhythm of the pounding music. I locked my eyes on Greg's as I brought my lower lip in between my teeth and slowly slid my fingers through my hair, lifting it off the back of my neck. That was all it took for Greg to launch himself up off the barstool and approach me on the dancefloor. My hands let go of my hair and reached out to wrap around his neck as his hands fell to rest on my hips. I brought my lips to his ear once more, "I'm glad you decided to join me."

"With you dancing like that, I had no choice," his voice was a few octaves deeper. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?"

"I think," I paused, letting a smirk form on my lips. "I think I drive you crazy." After I finished speaking a devious thought came to me, and with the alcohol fueling me, I decided to go for it. I placed a light kiss on the corner of his jaw and let my lips ghost over his skin until I was merely centimeters away from his lips. "I need a drink."

And with that I pulled away and darted towards the bar. I was a few feet away before a hand clamped onto my elbow and pulled me back. I smirked at Greg, who was standing in front of me, clearly flustered. He brought his lips to my ear and spoke in a growl, "We are going home. Now."

I replied, "I thought you'd never ask."

We flew through the lobby, not even giving the man at the front desk a second glance. The moment the elevators door closed, Greg's lips were attached to mine with a feverish desire. I had backed up into a wall, so I was left to the mercy of his lips and tongue, not that I minded. My hands were combing through his hair in an attempt to pull him closer and his left hand was clamped onto my hip while his right was pressing on the small of my back, drawing me as close as possible. The ride ended far too soon and we had to break apart when I heard the familiar ding of the doors opening once again. Greg grabbed my hand and we raced down the hallway until we reached the apartment door. He fumbled with the key for a second before jamming it into the lock and throwing open the apartment door.

The key was tossed recklessly in the general direction of the counter as we entangled ourselves in one another, feeling our way through the apartment and down the hallway. We stumbled into the bedroom and I kicked off my shoes, sending them into a corner somewhere. My hands left Greg's hair and moved to his jacket, helping him shrug it off his shoulders and letting it drop to the ground. "Wait," Greg spoke, out of breath. "I don't want our first time to be like this."

I met his eyes, "What do you mean?"

Looking into those brown eyes, I saw so many emotions flicker through those brown orbs; lust, awe, happiness, love. "I don't want our first time together to be driven by lust. I want our first time to be us making love."

My heart stopped at his words. It took me a few seconds, but I finally got up the courage to say what I really wanted to say. "Then make love to me." Greg's eyes grew wide at my words. "I love you, Greg Sanders, and I wish I could tell you how much I loved you, but there aren't enough words in the English language to even begin to explain it."

"I've dreamed so often of you saying those words to me," he cupped my face like he was holding glass. "But I never imagined them sounding as beautiful as they really do. I love you too, Mar. So much."

"I want this, Greg." I looped my fingers through his belt loops. "But only if you do too."

He responded by pressing his lips to mine in a slow, deep kiss. This kiss was different than all of our others, this one held an unspoken promise between the two of us; a promise of love and happiness.

The mood in the room had changed from lustful to loving, and it ignited a fire in my belly that spread throughout my entire body. I tugged at his belt loops as he dropped his hands from my face down to my hips. He detached our lips and trailed his down the side of my neck, planting light kisses every so often before he got to the skin that covered where my neck met my shoulder. I let out a sigh as he let his lips, tongue, and teeth alternate over the spot, surely leaving a bruise behind. I let out a small whine, as I was getting impatient. A chuckle left his lips as he dropped his hands down to my thighs. "Jump."

I obliged, wrapping my legs around his waist as he carried me over to the bed. Instead of lay my down, however, he set me on my feet near the foot of the bed. I tugged at the shirt covering his chest, which he helped me pull over his head and toss onto the floor. He turned me around so my back was to him, his fingers moving in search of the zipper. I pulled my hair over my shoulder so he could have easier access to the back of my dress. Taking the zipper in his hand, he unzipped the dress at a painstakingly slow pace. Once the zipper was undone, he pushed the dress off my shoulders and it dropped from my body, pooling at my feet. Clad in only my red lace undergarments, I turned back around to meet his eyes. He slowly reached out, as if I was an illusion that would disappear at any moment, and moved my hair so it fell down my back. "So beautiful," his hands fell to my waist once more. He nudged me backwards and I obliged, settling back on the pillows with Greg coming to hover over me. I leaned up and connected our lips, giving Greg the opportunity to reach behind me and unclasp my bra. He gently nudged it off my shoulders and let it find its place on the floor with the rest of our clothes. I fumbled with his jeans, unbuttoning them and pushing them down so he could kick them off.

Detaching our lips Greg left a trail of kisses down my neck before wrapping his lips around one of my nipples, earning a low moan from me. After releasing the sensitive bud he continued his assault across my stomach until he reached the only piece of clothing I had on. His breath fanned my core as his fingers looped around my underwear and slowly dragged them down my legs until they were on the floor. He placed a soft kiss on the inside of my thigh before crawling back up so he was face to face with me. "Another time," his voice vibrated in his chest. "I can't wait any longer."

Not trusting my words, I nodded my head before reaching for his boxers, tugging them off and discarding them on the floor. Greg reached over to my bedside table and pulled a condom from the drawer, opened the foil and rolled the condom over his length. He attached our lips as he entered me slowly, giving me time to adjust. My legs wrapped around his waist, urging him to move. He laced his right hand with my left as he began to move slowly at first, then he built up a steady rhythm as I rocked my hips to match his pace. "I'm close, baby," I mumbled into his lips as I felt the familiar fire build up in my center.

"I know doll, me too," he responded breathlessly. "I love you." His eyes connected with mine as he spoke.

"I love you too," I responded. I felt the fire explode in my belly, sending waves of pleasure throughout my entire body as I rode out my high, with Greg not far behind me.

After we both took a few minutes to come down from our highs, Greg moved to throw away the condom and I snuggled under the covers, ready for bed. I felt the mattress dip beside me as Greg returned to bed and climbed under the covers as well. I rolled over to face him as his arm fell over my waist and a smile spread across his face. "I love you."

I brushed some hair off his face before kissing his lips and responding, "I love you too."

Placing a delicate kiss on my nose, he snuggled deeper into the covers and I into him. "Goodnight angel," his sleepy voice rang in my ears.

"Goodnight," I muttered as sleep overtook and I fell into a deep slumber.


End file.
